The Lonely Road
by Kiwiambrosia
Summary: BEING RE-WRITTEN - A young woman finds her path intertwined with the brothers chosen for the Apocalypse. All in all, not the wisest place to be. WIP - OC
1. Prologue

**The Lonely Road**

_Prologue _

It was a lonesome life on the road, traveling constantly from one crappy motel to the next. A new city every few days. Never in one place for long, a week at the most. These days it was just her, no one to keep her company, which just meant she could blare her music louder, in her opinion. Skills in petty thievery and credit card scams helped her get by. The tiny bit of money left in her bank account was for _extreme_ emergencies only. She had few friends, barely had family to speak of - a single blood relative. She wasn't even sure if he was still alive. Even then, many of those _friends_ she counted as loose acquaintances at best. It was hard to make a lasting connection with someone outside her line of work, and Hunters were not necessarily the most trustworthy companions. But she quite enjoyed the job she did, the life she led. It was what she knew, and she was good at it. This life gave her the freedom to be who she was, and that was all she could hope for.

When she was younger, under her parents' harsh training, she excelled faster in the arts of manipulation, combat training, knives, and marksmanship than she ever had with her schooling. She was fast, she was quiet, she was deadly; the skills and movements became second nature to her, like breathing. A prodigy. Her Father had been so proud of his little Huntress.

But she grasped like a starved beast onto the written word. Reading, writing, art - anything creative. Having developed a deep love for Mythology and History at a very young age, she would take any Ancient Civilization or History course she could get her hands on. She was the little girl reading Tolkien in grade two, the one who didn't really make friends easily. Kids had always tried to avoid her, like she didn't exist. She didn't really mind.

As she grew older, the high school library had become a second home, especially in her later school years. During that time books became the single constant in her life, and she'd skip out on class and dodge teachers just so she could read in peace. But her Dad had been adamant that she graduate, get her diploma at eighteen like a regular girl. Even when there had been a horrible and sudden upheaval in their immediate family, their lives altogether, he demanded she carry on.

They had made arrangements to stay with an old family friend until she graduated. Neither she nor her Father had wanted anything more to do with the house they had lived in; it was full of memories that tore at wounds still too fresh. Luckily, this friend had lived not far from them, enabling her to continue attending the same school. He was a Hunter like her Dad was, but he ran a kind of network from his home: helping other Hunters, acting out the roles of the higher ups and authority figures, answering phone calls from the curious law enforcement or what-have-you, confirming that the Hunters on cases were, in fact, who they were pretending to be. Without his help a lot of people in their line of work would be behind bars or dead. Thanks to him, they were out there in the world hunting the things that go bump in the dark. Saving the skins of these everyday people who mostly just got in the way. This man was the go-to guy for obscure knowledge and lore, and his library was one of the largest known about in the Hunting community. Only a select few had actual access to it - hell, few had permission to enter his house or step foot in his junkyard. It contained just about anything remotely related to the supernatural and was constantly expanding.

In 1995 - after the accident that tore her family apart - her dad had given the man every book, scroll, and tome he owned once their house sold, along with any of the artifacts too valuable, dangerous, or bulky to take on the road. It was safe to say that most of the gruff man's rather impressive selection of books and relics was due to her father's 'patronage'. It was the melding of two remarkable collections under one roof; _massive_ was a good description.

She'd kept a tight hold on the journals from the Hunters of their family line, though, and one day she'd add her Dad's to her stash as well. All were handwritten, and most of them had sketches in them, too. The oldest of them had belonged to her great-great-great Grandfather Edmund, and the date on that one was 1783. They were going to stay with her as they always had, moving from the shelf in her old room to an assortment of large canvas book bags. These volumes were the history of her lineage, knowledge that had been passed down for generations. They could be extremely dangerous should the wrong hands find them. She protected the books and the responsibility of owning them fiercely, treasuring the thick leather-bound volumes, revering the knowledge they held. They had been given to her for safe-keeping, and her father had made it clear they were not to be shared. As they were precious to her, it wasn't that hard an order to follow.

While her Dad continued to take on cases and hunts like he always did, she was to stay put and do as she always had: be good, go to high school, do homework. Be a regular teenager. Train before breakfast, after dinner and on weekends. '_Keep your nose outta trouble, darlin','_ He'd always say to her before he left for the road again. It was the same old routine she had lived for years. She was to continue on as normal. It was no wonder she had no friends, and had buried herself deeper and deeper in books.

Her Dad would end up being gone for weeks, sometimes months, leaving her there at his friend's house to try and grow up as normally as she could. She waded through the huge shift in her life alone with only her Dad's friend to comfort and help her through the emotional turmoil of loss, and he slowly became family to her - like an uncle of sorts. Her Dad tried to call in every few days, or would show up for the occasional visit to remind her she wasn't forgotten but it didn't do anything but strain their distancing relationship more. She helped her host with his research, taking calls - but only from other Hunters - relaying the info needed, and contributing to daily life. They had grown closer while she lived with him; he had to see her face every day, after all. She cooked for the two of them, kept the house clean, doing whatever she could to keep herself busy and feeling useful. He helped with her training, nearly perfecting her aim, and taught her a few things about cars. Some days were spent kicked back in chairs, just reading quietly. Their combined sarcasm and snarky humor helped them get along famously. He was the one she had shared her first beer with, underage as it was. She had felt it was pointless to finish school. She knew what life had in store for her, and it was not getting a job, a mortgage, and married like a regular person. But she had graduated high school - with honors, too - to make her dad happy. Just to see him smile again.

The bright summer day she finally had the diploma in her hand, she had framed and hung it on the wall of the small room she had at the house, and then never looked at it again. Her Father hadn't made it to the ceremony. But it was soon after that day she began going on regular hunts with him, leaving the steady homelife, the leisurely days of training in the scrapyard, reading and deciphering for hours in what was now her room, and the man who had become her best friend over the last three years, behind.

She had been raised to feel like she had an obligation to help people and save lives. To make a dent in the never ending fight against darkness. She made a bigger difference in the world this way. More than she would have if she were behind a cash register, or in an office somewhere. Hunting was a mostly thankless job - she never made any money for her deeds - but that had never stopped her Mother and Father, her Grandparents or even her Great Grandparents. It was essentially a family tradition, this life. Literal generations of Hunters. It had always been the intention of her parents that she and her brother continue on as their ancestors had. She had been taught as such from a very young age. It was in her blood. Hunting was her lineage, her duty. To live and breath the Hunt. She was learning Latin right along with English when speaking her first words. Training had begun for her when she could walk. Some would call her parents abusive, but those same people would be defenseless without people like her Dad and Mom. She had known how to throw a solid punch before she could ask for a drink. Could throw a tiny knife with incredible precision before she was in preschool. There were never illusions of anything else for her. She was born to Hunt, and she was okay with that.

It was an uncomfortable way to live and hardly a way to _make_ a decent living. But it was all hers. She was helping to stave away the evil that lurked. She was proud of her work. Doing her utmost to protect the ignorant masses. The knowledge that they had done their part, had at least tried to save lives, to help in any way they possibly could. That they were fighting for good and humanity, so families could be with their loved ones. That was the take-home, their pay. It was good enough for those that came before her, so it was in turn, good enough for her. It had worked for her family for 15 good and mostly happy years.

They had a nice house, two cars, a large backyard with a garden. Both she and her brother had gone to the same school all their lives. Around people they had known since their early years. Lived in the same house as long as they could remember. Her mom actually had a job as a part time librarian, hunting on the side. Her dad hunted regularly, posing as a cross-country Trucker when their neighbours got curious. The family trained together, they hunted together. This one family really had been living the Hunter's Dream life...

Then on a beautiful bright summer's day in August 1995, their way of life had blown up, literally and figuratively, and the disaster had carved a once happy family of four down to two.


	2. Cold Oak

_I don't own any of the rights to Supernatural. The show, the characters, nothing. This is their world, I just play with it. Though, the OC is mine._

_Great big thank-you to Glittergrrrl05! My wonderful Beta._

* * *

**Chapter One: Cold Oak**

She was used to flying under the radar of law enforcement, having done so most of her life. Today was no exception it seemed. It was just past three in the morning as she sped away from the small city she had just been in. Long stretches of road, thick forest on either side. She hadn't seen another car for at least ten minutes. Lynyrd Skynyrd crackled softly on the radio. The police scanner that was under her stereo in the dash was going crazy with chatter. First it was about the fire, calls to get the blaze under control, then a call came through for a coroner. She sighed quietly, a morose look on her face. 'Guess they found those kids...'

It was all emergency calls for a while, and then the speculation of the origin of the fire began. Soon after her description came up, where she was last seen, the fake name she'd given when she was asking around. That she was a suspect. Her foot pressed down further on the gas, taking her faster away from the trouble. As she crossed the state line she thanked God they hadn't seen her car, and that she'd taken off long before they got there. 'Not this time, boys.' A small smirk on her lips, eyes on the asphalt in front of her. She was too far gone for them to find her now. The dark navy blue paint job of the 1971 Plymouth Barracuda helped to blend her excellently with the rest of the night as she made her escape. Her broken front and tail lights - smashed earlier that evening - further helped keep her cover. 'Doesn't help me see any better though.' That small passing thought was enough to send her into the fury she had been holding in while concentrating on her getaway.

"Stupid fucking kids! Smash my lights… Little arsonists! Grrrrrr… Goddamn - FUCK!" Snarling, she slammed both her hands down on the steering wheel in an effort to keep her anger under control. To stop her from going back for those dumbasses. Those kids had cost lives tonight, not that they knew it. She had been working a Haunting - simple, she figured. Nothing too bad, a quick salt and burn, easy hunting. A couple of local kids had tried to stay the night a few days ago and hadn't come back out, nor were they found by any of the authorities that searched the property. She just knew the spirits had taken them and were hiding them somewhere in the huge old victorian style manor. At the beginning of this hunt she had been so excited; it was a textbook haunting: big creepy house on the edge of a small town, stories of people going in and never coming out. The entire town was scared of the aged manor house. She had only come across the case by overhearing some locals talk about the old house and the missing teens. She was just passing through, getting gas at the only local station. It was perfect; she hadn't donesomething like this since she was younger.

* * *

Earlier that night 12:00 a.m.

She had been creeping through the house by herself, a sawed-off shotgun held tightly in her right hand. She was trying to get a lead on where the missing kids might be, if they were even still alive. Still on the first floor, the EMF meter in her left hand had been going crazy no matter where she went... until it abruptly stopped. She smacked it against her leg a few times, figuring it could be just faulty wiring. In the sudden silence of the device, she heard her car alarm go off from outside. As she turned toward the noise, large crashes sounded as multiple windows shattered. Home-made molotovs were tossed in shortly after. Fire exploded from them as the bottles smashed on impact, and the house started to fill quickly with smoke. The flames spread rapidly over decrepit wooden furniture and paneled walls, and within seconds it was all she could do to make out which direction to go in.

Knowing her only choice was to flee, she took off running as fast as she could with a muttered slew of curse words through the now burning house. Barreling her way through the thick hazy smoke, trying to find the door. Any door. Barely catching sight of one in front of her - and hoping it was the front door - she ran at it, full speed. Taking the brunt of the impact with her shoulder as she broke through the old rotting wood, crashing onto the porch in a shower of splinters and sparks. Her shotgun clattered to the ground beside her as she let go of it. The EMF meter fell from her grip and skid across the porch and off the side into the dirt. Rolling quickly to the left, she just made it as the rest of the door frame came down. Fire licking not far behind her. The house began creaking with the threat of imminent collapse. She heard faint screaming as she stumbled to her feet, scooped up her weapon, and headed towards her car, deciding to leave the hand made EMF meter where it lay. If it wasn't broken before, it was now.

Coughing harshly from minor smoke inhalation, her eyes stung no matter how much she rubbed at them. Mind whirring around just what the bloody Hell had just happened, her amber browns landed on a Jeep loaded up with teenaged boys from the town. Jeering, ugly faces and cat calls. She could smell the booze wafting from their direction on the breeze. The wheels screeched, gravel and mud kicking up as they tore down of the driveway and away out of sight. Loud laughter and crappy music met her shouts as she yelled after them. Turning around to face the house, she heard its loud groan as supports gave way. Eyes wide, she watched as the roof caved in. A plume of ash and fire shot into the air. Somewhere along the line, the screaming had stopped.

She had already scrambled to her car and was driving away when the sirens announced their approach to the burning old house. She was beyond pissed, having noticed both her front and back lights had been smashed to shit. Her windshield had a massive crack in it and looked like it could fall to pieces any second. Both driver and passenger windows were completely shattered. There were shards of glass all over her seats. Her doors, trunk, and hood had all been keyed. She was lucky they hadn't done anything to her tires or found any of the things she had hidden. She swore steam was coming out of her nose, she was so angry. Wrecking her dad's car, setting fire to a house while she and others were still in it! Her blood was boiling. Part of her screamed to take her anger out on those idiots, to turn around, find those boys and beat the ever-living crap out of them. Another part was mourning the kids that had been trapped… There was nothing she could have done, no way she could have found them and saved them in time. Once the flames started pouring in, she had to get out. But survivors guilt was fickle like that. Knowing there was no way to help didn't make her feel any better.

She scrunched her face up and then took a deep breath. Cool night air flowed freely through the broken windows. Reaching up, she brushed the bits of wood and soot from her hair as best she could. Eyes still on the road ahead of her, she had immediately started making her way towards South Dakota. Once the chatter on the scanner had all but stopped, she pulled out a map and managed to lay it out on the seat beside her as she drove. Her 'Cuda needed fixing, and there was only one mechanic her dad would ever let work on it. She had been following that habit for the last six years. Fishing her cell phone out from a pocket in her leather jacket, she hit speed dial and held the phone to her ear. It rang a few times, longer than usual, but it was nearing four in the morning if the clock on her dash was to be believed. She reached for the knobs, turning down the police scanner and music. The line picked up. Her face split into a grin as she waited for the scolding she knew was coming.

"Y'gotta be kiddin' me... Do you have any damn idea what time it is, girl?" The voice on the other line was gruff and groggy. Irritated, like he had just rolled out of bed. She heard him groan about the ungodly hour. She let out a snort. He was always like this, no matter what time of day it was. She thought it was part of his charm.

"Good morning, Bobby!" Her voice full of sudden cheer. Annoying the man - who had taken her and her Dad in so many years ago - was one of her favorite past times. "Didn't wake you did I?"

"You damn well know you did. This better be important."

"Nice to hear your voice, too, grumpy. I'm gonna be swinging by in a few hours. The 'Cuda needs some love." As he began spluttering about her carelessness on the other end, she quickly defended herself - "Hey-hey! Keep your panties on! Not my doing!" - and told him what had happened to her poor car. Which left Bobby as angry about it as she was.

"Alright, I'll have the coffee on." She could hear him move around in the background. "Haven't heard from ya in a fair bit. Haven't seen ya in far longer. Two thousand three, I think. How far out are you?" Taking her intention to come by his home in stride. If anything she thought he sounded a bit excited.

She glanced down at the map laid out on her passenger seat, the shotgun still in plain sight on the floor of the car. She'd have to put it away, not quite having the time earlier when making her get away. "Give me four hours. Maybe I'll bring you breakfast. Lord knows how you've managed to survive without me."

"Is that four hours regular time, or is that how long it's gonna take ya to break every speed limit you come across?" She could hear the amusement in his voice. "And I'll have you know, I make a mean omelet." She laughed outright at that.

"Just don't burn down the place before I get there. I'll be there soon, three hours tops. Smooches!" She just laughed again in response to the grumbling man as he asked, 'What happened to four hours?' But he told her to drive safe and to be careful. She closed and tossed her phone on top of the map beside her. Adjusted her rearview slightly, turned the radio back up, and began singing along to the Styx song that was playing. Her bad mood had pretty much evaporated; talking to Bobby always did that for her. Sure she was still pissed, but now she didn't feel murderous. He was the last line to what her life used to be, even if they had met after the incident. He had become like family to her those many years ago. He was always there for her when her dad went away so frequently. He had almost replaced her father back then. Bobby was a lot more caring and considerate than her dad was. Knowing that someone out there still cared about her -kept her in their thoughts- helped her keep her head up on the bad days. Especially now that her dad was gone.

The air was constantly buffeting her from the non-existent windows as she continued down the road, and she made the quick decision to stop for a few minutes and look over the damage. Pulling to the shoulder of the interstate she parked, then shut the car off. She got out but left the door open, grabbed the gun from the floor of the car and, taking a flashlight with her, did a full circle of the vehicle. Eyebrows furrowed, she assessed the damage that had been done. Making her way to the trunk, she put her shotgun back where it was safely hidden from prying eyes.

After shoving the handle of the flashlight in her pocket she began touching the places on her body where knives were hidden, running a small inventory of her person to make sure they were all still in their positions after the rush. Shutting the trunk firmly with both hands, she walked back to the driver's side, pulling her thick brown hair out of its messy ponytail and re-tieing it as she slipped back into the driver's seat. Tossing the flashlight in the glove box, she pulled the car door closed and turned the key. The engine roared to life, bringing a small smile to her face. Shifting gears and stepping on the gas, she peeled down the dark road ahead of her as a heavy guitar riff came through the radio. She was headed towards the closest thing to a home she had known in years.

* * *

The gravel made a comforting crunching sound as she pulled into Singer's Salvage Yard. It had been almost 4 years since she had been here last. Too long, way too long. The smile on her face spoke volumes of just how happy she was to be back. It hadn't changed a bit. Mountains of crushed and stacked cars surrounded the driveway and expanded further into the junkyard. Old broken down cars littered the property. Not a one looked like it could run. The old farm house was a tired pale blue, and most of the upstairs windows had been boarded up. Hubcaps both shiny and dull hung motley on the faded siding. The house sure gave the appearance that whoever lived inside was downright crazy. Or in Bobby's case, he was considered a crazy old drunk. Slowing to a stop beside the familiar pine green Chevelle, she cut the engine and got out of her car. Adjusted the sunglasses on the bridge of her nose, then shoved her keys into her black leather jacket. Leaning back into the car and grabbed the take-out containers of food. She had stopped at a diner for breakfast on the way in. Shutting the driver's side door with her hip, flinching a bit as more glass fell and tinkled down the side of the car. The spring sun was bright overhead as she made her way up the stairs of the porch. Hands full of styrofoam food containers, she kicked the bottom of the door a few times instead of knocking. The steel toe of her boots making a loud clanging on the metal screen door.

"Hey, Grumpy! I'm hoooome." She sing-songed loudly while standing by the door, waiting for it to open. She turned to take in the surrounding area, it really was good to be back. A field of junkers and other cars piled on top of each other. The garage where she learned how to fix the 'Cuda. The old barn at the back of the property where she had practiced her aim. Another small comfort. Hearing the heavy wooden door and then the screen open behind her she spun around to face the older man. Small matching smiles on both their faces. "There you are! I bring the gift of pancakes," she said brightly.

"Well come in then." Rolling his eyes from beneath the ever-present trucker cap, Bobby held the door open wider so she could pass by him. "Stick the grub you brought on the table." Closing the door behind her, he followed her into the kitchen. His hand rubbing idly at his beard. After depositing the food, she stood by the table, arms crossed, and took in the sight of the kitchen. The small smile had yet to leave her face. The sink was piled with dishes, the pantry door was ajar and it was mostly empty, with the exception of canned goods. The wall of phones had grown, and there were at least six up there now, compared to the three he'd had when she left. The fridge made an odd little groaning and clicking noise. To top it off, the place looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. The floor was nasty, boot tracks and mud everywhere, and the wallpaper was starting to peel off the walls. "Coffee should be ready soon, ended up drinkin' the first pot while waitin' on ya," Bobby said.

She spread her arm out and motioned to the rest of the kitchen. "By the looks of this place, I guess it was a good idea on my part to grab utensils. Wash as you need, Bobby?" She laughed softly, shrugging her jacket off and hanging it over a chair. She grabbed two clean mugs from a cupboard and filled them from the pot that had just finished brewing. "I'm surprised I found these."

"You're lucky you brought me food, is what you are," he chuckled as he settled himself down into a chair at the kitchen table. "After all this time, you come in here and criticize my way of life."

"Mostly your lack of cleanliness," she shot back as she crossed the kitchen. Sitting down opposite him, she pushed the mug of coffee across the table towards him. After a bite of her breakfast, she then pointed her plastic fork at him. Swallowing and giving him a mischievous smile. "I leave, and you let the place go to shit. Don't make me move back in." She joked, shaking the fork at him, "You know I will. It's been a long time since I was in the same room for more than a week. Five bucks says your library looks like a tornado hit it."

The man across from her was eating his own food and then sipped at his coffee. "Well, I still have to take a look at the 'Cuda, so you might need to hang around depending on how long it takes to fix her. I heard you pull in, so those morons didn't do anything that kept you from driving." She nodded at him, stirring milk and sugar into her mug. Musing to herself about how nice it would be to know where she was sleeping at night. That and the urge to relax and research with her pseudo-uncle. "Besides, you're a grown woman now, you can answer the big kid phones." He chuckled at her, took a sip of his coffee, and used his mug to motion over at his phone wall. Each was labeled something different: Home, CDC, Fed Marshal, FBI, Health Dept., Police. "Back when you were stayin' here, your squeaky little girly voice woulda gotten a bunch of people in trouble."

"Well, no shit. I was fifteen and still giggled when cute boys talked to me," she laughed. "But if you think for one second I'll play the bubbly secretary full time, you've got another thing comin' old man." Grinning she took another bite of the pancakes she had brought. "I'd rather clean up this place. How you live like this, I'll never know."

He threw a piece of bacon at her from across the table. "Fine, clean my house," he grumbled good-naturedly. "Start with the library, that'd be the most frequently used room 'sides this one."

Playing offended at his bacon tossing, she gasped at him. "I paid good money for that, don't you abuse bacon in my presence!" She tossed a tiny piece back at him, watching as it got stuck in his beard, the giggles poured out of her. They both were smiling as they finished their food and drained the remains of their coffee. He leaned back in his chair, empty plate in front of him, then patted his belly and stood. "It'll be good to have ya back girl. Even for a bit." He grunted a little as he stood back up. "Thanks for breakfast, I'm gonna go take a look at your baby. Be back."

He left her sitting at the table looking around the disaster of a kitchen. Eyes catching on the pin-up girl calendar hanging on the wall beside a cork board and to the left of the phones. Raising an eyebrow in amusement, she smirked at the sexy woman on the page. She then noticed the date. It was April fourteenth, two thousand seven. She smacked her palm against her face as she realized she had forgotten her own birthday. She'd been twenty-seven for over a month now. The only person left who even knew that had just left the room to assess her car.

Shaking her head with a sigh and fixing her ponytail again she, too, stood from the table and pushed her chair back in. Walking across the kitchen, she looked at the random things pinned to the cork board on the wall: dates and times for appointments, names, numbers to remember. In black marker on tape, each phone was labeled and had a name written under each. The persona of whatever and whoever he was on that particular phone. She turned towards the full sink and with a heavy sigh, began the daunting task of washing the dishes. Books could wait a bit longer.

* * *

Three hours later found her moving around the kitchen, a mop in her hands. Sock feet sliding on the clean linoleum. Hips swinging ever so slightly, a softly sung tune on her lips. The sun was high in the sky, and the bright kitchen was just about clean. She stopped her current task and surveyed her work. Walls had been washed, all the dishes cleaned and put away, the stove gleamed a color it probably hadn't been in years. Counters had been cleared of old food, garbage, and clutter. She had wiped down the windows and could actually see out into the back yard.

She had taken two full bags of garbage out the back door and checked in on Bobby, who had pulled the 'Cuda around back to the garage and started work immediately. While out in the garage she had cleaned out her trunk, grabbing her numerous book bags and two duffle bags full of clothes. She was confident Bobby would remove anything else as he moved along with fixing the 'Cuda. Now, she was just about done mopping the floor. Wiping her forehead, she moved her neck side to side. The crack it made each way made her almost groan in delight. It was always nice to crack something that had been in use for too long without a break. Her shoulders were next. She stretched and then finished up the small spot she had left to go. Once she was done, she dumped the dirty water down the sink. Padding across the newly clean floor she put the cleaning supplies away in a cupboard near the pantry. Making her way towards the hallway that led to the library she stopped and pulled her boots back on before continuing on to the other room.

Stopping dead in the doorframe of the Library she whistled low. "Bobby Singer, you owe me a helluva lot more than five bucks for this mess…" Tucking a stray bit of hair behind her ear, three silver studs glinted in the light. They lined both of her earlobes, making six combined. She moved forwards into the dimly lit room to see what he was currently working on.

The desk was completely covered with open books, multiple file folders, loose clippings, and papers. She hovered over the organized chaos, not touching a thing. Eyes whizzing over what book was open to what passage, what files from which cabinet did he have out. Which sheet of paper had the most recent writing on it. She knew Bobby's filing system like her own name. Seeing nothing that piqued her interest she let the desk be and continued her inspection and tidy-up of the Library. Picking up books here and there, putting them back as she went. Eventually having put away all the stray volumes. The large stacks that littered the floor had been straightened. The desk she had still left untouched. She dusted what she could reach, wiped down a few surfaces and when the sun started to dip below the horizon, she proclaimed it clean.

Putting away the meager selection of cleaning supplies she had used in a hall cupboard, she lazily walked back into the Library and made her way back to the desk. She had just sat down at the elder Hunter's desk to check out his work a bit more, when the back door opened. She grinned to herself at the noise of surprise she heard from the other room. The man shuffled through the kitchen, and into the room, wiping his grease-covered hands with a rag. "You're a lucky 'un girl." His gruff voice said from the doorway. "I just happened to have a pair of spare windows for your car. Managed to get your headlights up and running. Knocked out a few of the dents you had. But the windshield, that's gonna take some time, same with your tail lights." He swiped his forearm over his forehead, wiping away sweat. "Gotta get a few parts in before I can have the 'Cuda done. But I can have a fresh coat of paint on her by the weekend." A snarky smirk on his face. He finished cleaning his hands and threw the dirty cloth in a trash bin by the doorway. His eyes taking in the newly tidy and organized study around him. His eyebrows disappeared under his trucker cap, nodding his head in approval, he gave the grumble that told her he liked what he saw. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his vest, he looked at the brunette sitting at his desk. "It's been a long time since this place looked this good. Maybe I should hold out on fixing your car, have you clean the whole house."

She was instantly amused. "Don't even think about it, Lazy. This'd take me all year. Besides, think of fixing up the 'Cuda as your birthday present to me. It was a month ago and all." She held the back of her hand to her forehead. Breathing out a dainty sigh. "No call, not a word. And here I was, all this time, thinking you cared about me." She feigned hurt.

He just rolled his eyes, walked further into the room, and made a shooing motion with his hands at her. "Outta my chair, go get us some beer, birthday girl." He shook his head with a deep chuckle as she vacated the large leather desk chair. She stuck her tongue out at him, blowing a raspberry as she walked into the kitchen. "Very mature! How old are you now? Sixteen?" He called back to her. He could hear her soft laughter from the kitchen. Sitting down in the chair he leaned to one side and began rummaging through a drawer of the desk. He was still at it when she came back in the room, two open bottles with her.

"You're getting hilarious in your old age." She smirked at him and placed one of the beers on the desk for him. He pulled a small black box from the drawer he had been shifting around in. She plopped herself down in one of the two chairs opposite the desk. One of her brows raised in question, brown eyes avidly watching the small box. It made a small clinking sound, indicating something moving around inside. He put it on top of all the papers in the middle of the desk and inclined his head at her.

"Your daddy give this to me a long time ago. Back when you first came to stay here. Told me to hang on to it, keep it quiet. It was supposta be yours when you turned twenty-five." Bobby gave her a wry smile. "But I couldn't get a hold of ya, and you haven't been around since before then."

She had put her beer down and scooted forwards a bit in her chair to reach it. Opening the box with slightly shaking fingers, she pulled out a single bullet on a thin but strong looking chain. She held it up to the dim lamplight, inspecting it. Taking in every detail. A beautifully carved heart on one side of the casing, four sets of initials were etched in calligraphic script on the other. 'A.I.C.' - 'P.S.C.' - 'J.E.C' - 'C.M.C'. The first set as old as the bullet was, the last set though, was new and were hers. She recognized this. She breathed out the words, "This was my mothers…" She took a deep breath through her nose trying to stem any tears. Utterly shocked to see this in her hands at all. "I thought it was with her when we burned her…"

He was shaking his head in reply. "It was tradition for the women in your family to have it." The man shrugged his shoulders awkwardly. "That's what Stephen told me back then anyways. He said it first belonged to yer great grandmomma Arianna. That her husband carved it up for her, an' it was a present for her birthday." He grunted and started flapping his hand at the teary-eyed young woman across from him. He had never been one for displays of emotions or feelings. "Hey now, quit the waterworks." His voice was as tough and calloused as his hands. But his eyes had a twinkle to them, and there was a tiny smirk under that scruffy beard.

She pulled her dark chestnut brown hair to one side as she put the chain around her neck and fastened the clasp. The bullet sat nicely, but she still tucked it into the old Gun N' Roses t-shirt she was wearing. Hiding it from view. She touched it for a moment and eyes bleary, she shook her head. Hoping to get her emotions under control. "Thank you." She managed after a few seconds, smiling at him. He rolled his eyes again.

"Yeah-yeah, kiddo, I know. Keep it safe. That's the one thing your daddy repeated over an' over. Keep it safe." She nodded but gave him a lingering look. It was almost as if he knew something else but wasn't sharing. Picking up her beer from the table she took a swig and looked down at his workspace.

"So, what ya got there?" She used the neck of her bottle to point to his cluttered desk.

"The usual mostly. Hauntings, murders the cops can't explain, Demonic omens. Bit of this an' that for a few of the other guys that come around." She was nodding at him, that pretty much was norm these days. The chair squeaked a bit as he leaned back in it taking a long pull from his beer. "But it's different… Somethin's comin' girl. And it's big and it's gonna be ugly." He sighed, fixing the cap of his head.

"Isn't that how it always is? Big, bad and fugly, but somewhere along the way, a Hero'll show up and try to save the world." She sniggered into her beer.

"Most of us Heroes are getting old," he grumbled.

"And lazy," she mentioned again, grinning. "So what, just gonna sit on ass, help from behind the scenes? Answer phones the rest of your life?" When he didn't even so much as defend himself, she sat forwards in her seat, eyes shining happily. "Aww c'mon, let's find us something easy. We haven't been on a hunt together in years." She was giving him a pleading look from across the desk. "Don't make me beg." He gave her a stern look in return. Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout, giving him the face. He had opened his mouth to retort something, and then closed it. "You missed my birthday, Uncle Bobby. You owe me." He sighed and felt all argument slip and die away. She rarely called him 'uncle' anymore.

"Goddammit girl, you certainly know how to work me." He shook his head and drained the dregs of his beer. "Tell ya what, go get me another brew, and I'll start poking around what I've got. See what we can scrounge up." She gave him a large grin and a nod, standing from her seat.

"Thanks, Bobby!" She scooped up their empties and headed towards the kitchen. He noticed there was more of a bounce to her step. He rolled his eyes and thought, 'Leave it to that girl to be excited about hunting.'

* * *

Ten days later, and they still had not been able to find a single hunt. Not a damn thing was out there. It made them both uneasy. It was like suddenly everything dried up and went dark. So with much swearing and more alcohol than was healthy, they had kicked around his house. Doing research, repairing wards and sigils, fixing up her car as the parts trickled slowly in. But this morning the last of the parts Bobby had needed to fix up the 'Cuda had finally come in.

It was an usually warm afternoon for the last week of April. Sun high in the sky, not a cloud to be seen absolutely wonderful weather. The sounds of Bobby out in his garage working away on the car, only a few things left to do. Loud classic rock blaring from an old stereo inside. The music carrying out into the junkyard reaching a pretty young woman sunbathing on the hood of a car. It was a peaceful scene.

The owner of the dark blue Barracuda was starting to get antsy. Long jean-clad legs bouncing ever so slightly from her position leaned back on the hood of a car. Boots knocking together, sunglasses perched on her nose, hair fanned out on the windshield behind her. Black snug fitting tank top leaving her arms and most of her shoulders bare. She lay there taking in the sun's warmth. A book of old Gaelic exorcisms lay open spine up on her stomach, a bottle of half-drunk beer hung loosely from her hand. Eyes taking in everything and nothing as her mind circled itself. She had been here for too long, needed to get going, get back to her life, back on the road. The brunette was definitely restless today. Not being able to find any local cases to keep herself busy, the downtime was starting to eat at her. She had enjoyed her little vacation, but it was long passed the time for her to get back. Also, she missed her 'Cuda. There was just something in the air today, and it was sparking her adrenaline, making her anxious. Perhaps even a bit nervous, if she was honest with herself.

The entire beauty of the day seemed to be mocking her, the birds sung a bit louder, the sun shone a little brighter. But she could still feel it. Like the eye of a storm was hovering overhead. Bobby had been right that night over a week ago when she showed up. Something was coming, and she knew somewhere deep within, that whatever it was, it was only just beginning.

Softly humming the song on the garage radio, she paused and took a long draw from her bottle, finishing the last of it. Licking her lips and sliding down the hood of the car she stretched. Arms high in the air, hands together around the empty bottle, the joints in her upper back and shoulders popped. Letting out a small yawn of boredom she turned to face the garage. "Hey, Bobby!" She cupped a hand to her mouth to amplify her voice. "I'm going in for a beer, you want one?!" She yelled over the music hoping he heard her. She knew she was loud, but the garage was still a ways away.

"Yeah! Thanks, kid!" Was the returning yell she got from the noisy garage. A small grin on her lips she shook her head and rolled her eyes. Walking the short distance from the car that was her lounge chair, she reached the wooden steps and started up them when she heard the roar of an engine from a bit of a distance behind her. Assuming it was just Bobby fine tuning her precious vehicle, she kept her pace and continued on inside to the far back of the house into the kitchen. Removing her sunglasses and placing them on top of her mess of hair, closing the door behind her. Not realizing they had a visitor until she heard a faint, but frantic yell of Bobby's name from outside.

Curious, but shrugging it off and shutting the fridge door - having grabbed three beers instead of two, figuring the newcomer might want one - she turned around to leave the room, head back outside. Only to hear the door open and close, two sets of footsteps, and watched Bobby enter the kitchen. His face was stony, but she could see worry there. She handed him one of the beers in her hands, a questioning look on her face. Then a tall, but well-built man with short dirty blonde hair walked quickly into the kitchen, effectively cutting off her silent question.

The man had frozen in his steps the instant he laid eyes on her. They widened a bit, shot over to Bobby and then back to her. A roguish grin forming on his face. 'Well look at you…' He thought. Taking her in, from the worn steel toed boots on her feet, up shapely legs encased in denim. A flat toned stomach peeked out from the short tank top, the small grin on his face widened a bit when his eyes reached her chest area. An inch or two shorter than Bobby, she was all lightly tanned skin and curves in the right places, muscle definition in her arms and legs. She carried herself with confidence and ease. But he could see large scars on the skin she was showing. He figured either she had a serious self-harm problem or this chick was a Hunter like him and Bobby. The loose mass of chestnut brown waves on her head made her look wild, a light smattering of freckles on the bridge of her nose. Honey brown eyes framed by thick lashes, twinkled at him, amused. When he had finished quickly checking her out, his gaze flicked back to Bobby. The smile replaced with a slightly confused look. "Uh, not that I mind Bobby, but who's the chick?" He looked over at her again, his small appreciative grin returning.

In his apparent curiosity, she had noticed his eyes were a wonderful shade of hazel. She was smirking at him, letting her eyes rake up and down his body. Returning the favor. Decidedly liking what she saw. 'Yum, and all wrapped up in leather, too…' Smirk still in place she raised her arm and held the third beer out to the blonde man. Opening the one left in her hand, sticking the bottle cap in her back pocket. "It doesn't bite." He took the beer from her with a muttered thanks, trying to pay attention to Bobby, but his eyes still strayed every so often back over to her. With a knowing smile, she turned to face Bobby and waited for him to make introductions.

With both of the young people looking at him, Bobby took a pull of his beer. His stance uncomfortable. "Uh, well, not that we really have time-" He grumbled, not liking this idea at all. "Cori, this is Dean Winchester." Her eyes grew a little wider, having heard of the Winchester family many times before. 'Winchester, eh? Mmmm Forbidden Fruit…' If anything, she knew a bit more about them than she should. "Dean, this is Corinne Folan." Bobby shot her a look and her lips quirked upwards in a tiny smile. He was making it clear that though he may trust the man in front of them, she sure shouldn't. Hell, she wasn't even remotely sure why Bobby was introducing them.

Corinne smiled at Dean, "Cori works. Cheers, gorgeous." She raised her bottle in his direction and drank deeply from it. Dean just nodded, the smile gone. He had caught the look between the two. Deciding that what he came here for was more important. His demeanor changed in mere moments. It was plain to see that something was on his mind. He began looking extremely worried, the beer in his hands hadn't even been opened yet. She frowned slightly in his direction, her brows scrunching together. Barely knew the man fifteen minutes, and already she was going against years of orders to stay away from his family. One look at him, and she wanted to do anything she could to help him.

"Well, explain the rush, boy." Right to the point as always was Bobby. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

Across the kitchen, Dean moved the beer from one hand to the other, internally wondering just who this chick was, and if he could trust her. Obviously Bobby did, but they had just met. He wasn't even quite sure that he was just given her real name. But Folan rang a bell. He vowed to speak to Bobby about it later. He threw caution to the wind - more heads were better, right? - and opened his mouth to speak. The words coming out in a rush. "Sam's missing."

Bobby growled. "That damn boy run off on you again?" Quickly getting angry at the words, having not quite registered the worry in Dean's voice. Though Cori had, but she kept quiet. Uncrossing her arms, she placed a hand on Bobby's forearm, silencing his continued grumbling. She looked back to Dean waiting for him to continue.

He nodded, not missing the interaction. "We- Bobby…" He started again, "There was this diner. We stopped for food, he went in and-" He paused and ran his hand through his short hair, blowing out a puff of air. "I was in the car, the radio started going to shit, lights flickered. I go in and everyone inside is fuckin' dead. Throats slashed, and the place empty. But there was sulfur all over…" He sighed and seemed to draw himself in and compose himself. "Let's get on the road, then you show me what you got."

* * *

Hours later found the three of them parked on the side of the road. They had left Bobby's place and had no actual destination yet, but they had all agreed to get going. Bobby and Cori took his Chevelle while Dean drove his black and glorious 1967 Chevy Impala. She had mentally oohed and ahhed when she first saw the car. Time and circumstance forcing her to otherwise quickly climb in the passenger seat of Bobby's. Whereas she just wanted to fawn and drool over the other vehicle. Her 'Cuda still in the garage at Bobby's, but just about finished. 'My poor girl...'

Standing side by side, the three of them were looking down at a map Bobby had laid out on the hood of Dean's car. All of them pouring over every inch of it. Bobby sighed and turned to look at Dean. "This is it: all the demonic signs and omens over the past month."

Dean just scoffed and looked away from the map. "Are you joking? There's nothing here." Bobby was just nodding at him, Cori was still looking down at the map and small frown on her face. She was still kinda irritated herself at the lack of available hunts.

"Exactly." The older man replied, crossing his arms. Dean was obviously not willing to accept that.

"Well, come on, there's gotta be something. What about the-the..." He faltered coming up with the words. "The normal low-level stuff? You know hauntings, exorcisms, that kinda thing."

Bobby just looked at the man and blinked at him. "That's what I'm telling you: there's nothing. It's completely quiet." Dean huffed loudly, running a hand through his hair. Cori had noticed him do this a few times, realizing it must be a nervous habit of his. He was nearing frantic with worry for his brother. She completely understood his reaction. Hunter or not, Demons were involved, and that was never good for anyone.

"Well, how are we supposed to look for Sam? What, do we just close our eyes and point?" He uttered sarcastically to the other two standing beside him. Cori had just opened her mouth to respond when the shrill ringing of a cell phone went off. Dean patted his jacket pockets with both hands, finding the ringing object, pulling the phone out and checking the caller ID. "There's hope yet." His mood lightened a little.

Putting the cell phone to his ear, "Ash, hey, what do ya have?" The answer he received over the phone was definitely not the one he was hoping for. "Oh, come on man!" He started pacing a bit in front of the car. Bobby's eyes following his every move. Cori zoned back in on the map, her remark having been interrupted. She went back to trying to take in every detail, half listening to Dean on the phone. "You've gotta give us something. We're looking at a three thousand-mile haystack here." He stopped paced. "Well, what?" He demanded. "Come on, I don't have fucking time for this!" he growled into the receiver. He listened to Ash speaking rapidly on the other end, the furrow in Deans brow getting deeper by the second. He pulled the phone away from his ear, snapped it shut with force and shoved it back into his leather jacket. Shaking his head and sighed, looking at the two of them. "I guess we're going to the Roadhouse. Come on." Bobby had been watching Dean talk on the phone, nodded and began walking back to his car.

Cori looked up from the map when Dean spoke to them. He was grumbling under his breath as he got back behind the wheel of his Impala. Bobby had already turned the engine on his Chevelle over, she folded up the map and returned to her spot beside Bobby. "Oh good, I could use a beer. Ellen and I need to talk." She settled back in the passenger seat, getting comfy. "And Ash owes me fifty bucks." She smirked to herself, thinking about the bet she had made years ago with the guy. As the engine of the Impala in front of them rumbled and turned over, she knew that she would forever remember the sound. Reaching down she turned the radios knob and it flared to life as they peeled down the interstate behind Dean, on their way to the Hunters' bar.

* * *

The sun was starting to set as the two cars were slowing down to round the bend that led to the Roadhouse. Noticing they were just about there, Cori sat up from her slouched position in the front, stuffing a book into the duffle bag at her feet. They pulled around the corner and the sight that met them had Cori's hand fly over her mouth covering up a small gasp. Never, _never_ had she thought she would see this. Dean was already out of his car, standing beside it, mouth gaping at the sight before them. "What the hell?" He trailed off, turning to Bobby and Cori as they pulled to a stop beside him.

As soon as they had, both of them scrambled out of the Chevelle and together with Dean, walked cautiously towards the complete and utter wreckage that had been 'Harvelle's Roadhouse' not too long ago. Stepping slowly through the debris, they were all dumbfounded. Everything had burned. Flames flickering and dying out wherever they looked. It had burned fast and burned quick, now there were only smolders. The only recognizable thing that remained was the melted carcass of the jukebox. Black soot and scorched corpses littered the area of what used to be the bar. Bobby was walking around almost in a daze. "Oh my God…"

Dean turned to him, worry apparent on his features. "Do you see Ellen?" Everywhere he looked Dean saw carnage. Charred bodies, frozen and contorted in their last moments. Those few that hadn't already turned to dust. Most of them Hunters, all of them deserving better than this.

"No, no Ash either." Was the reply. But his eyes were still scouring over every inch he could see. Bobby was sickened at the sight, so many good people, and Ellen. Oh God, please... He hoped beyond hope that they didn't find her body here. They both turned simultaneously at the sound of Cori suddenly swearing profusely. The two men started making their way towards her.

"Oh, fuck-fuck, no…" She was shaking her head in disbelief. She was bent down, having caught sight of Ash's watch in a pile of rubble. She reached out and pulled on it, to pick it up. Her fingers grasping the band, she pulled and then realized it was still attached. "Fuuuuuuck!" Dropping it back to the ground like it had burned her. She had very nearly screamed, as her eyes trailed from the watch, up a burnt and black arm and to the unrecognizable corpse in front of her. "Oh, Ash..." She lamented.

Bobby and Dean had come over at her loud curses and witnessed the whole thing. Bobby had made to move forward to help Cori off the ground. But Dean had acted quicker. Stepping up beside her he hand put his hand on the crouching women's shoulder. The touch made her jump slightly, but she didn't move his hand. "Dammit Ash…" he muttered to himself, eyes trailing over the well-done body of the self-proclaimed genius, and then back to Cori still crouched down in front of him. He offered her a hand, which she silently took, he helped her stand from her position on the ground. Nodding her head in thanks, she angrily wiped away at the tears that were threatening to fall. She steeled herself, pushing it away and getting down to business. She looked over at Bobby as he spoke, "This is…" he trailed off.

"Yeah. Yeah, it definitely is…" She replied her voice hard. Her eyes traveled to Dean, watching him. Waiting for his next decision on the matter at hand. It was his brother and all, and Cori had never even met this Sam guy. She could mourn her friends later, in private. The three of them walked the short way back to the cars. Dean was pacing by his driver side door. Worry and anger melding into one big complex emotion. "What the hell did Ash know?" He growled rhetorically. "We've got no way of knowing where Ellen is." Step, step, step, spin, step, step, step… The pace had a good rhythm. "Or if she's even alive. We've got no clue what Ash was gonna tell us. Now, how the hell are we gonna find Sam?"

Bobby tried to reassure him. "We'll find him." He reached out to grab Dean's shoulder, when Dean suddenly clutched his head, groaning. Hunching his shoulders slightly in obvious pain.

"Woah, Dean?" Cori had moved closer to him, her voice sounding concerned.

"What was that?" Bobby questioned after Dean had righted himself, all pain apparently gone. Dean was shaking his head as if to clear it.

"I don't know. A headache?"

Cori raised an eyebrow, "You get headaches like that a lot?" She sounded sarcastic like she already knew the answer, and didn't believe his crap for a second.

Dean's eyes moved from their focus on the ground and were now directed at her. He had almost forgotten she was here. Not knowing much about her - and the current situation - he had pretty much written her off. She's so quiet, and Bobby treats her, like us. "No. Must be the stress." He chuckled, yet not really finding it funny. "I could have sworn I saw something though." She tilted her head slightly, the question plain on her face.

"What do you mean? Like a vision?" Bobby asked, his gaze narrowed on the young man in front of him. "Like what Sam gets?"

Dean was quick to defend himself from the accusation, jumping away from both of them. "What? No!"

Bobby was shrugging. "I'm just sayin'."

Cori quietly watched the two of them go back and forth, her arms crossed in front of her, absorbing every small detail, their body language, and the words coming out of both of them. 'Um, hey, what now? Visions? You knew about this?' She thought, her eyes flicking quickly to Bobby's face. She had known the Winchesters were trouble. Big time Trouble with a capital T. Having always tried to keep her distance. 'You stay far away from them Winchesters, girl.' That had been Bobby's advice, when she had asked about the family. It had been in her later teen years and she had only asked after she learned this John guy - her Dad and Bobby talked about him in hushed voices - had kids. That the eldest son was her age. Ellen Harvelle had told her what amounted to the same thing. But it was the boys father - John Winchester - whom she had been warned away from more than anything. 'Just steer clear of that man, sweetheart.' She knew the reasons Ellen, her father and Bobby had for that. They were good ones, and so far had respected those wishes.

But she had seen some crazy shit today, and the eldest of the Winchester boys needed help. Not that he had actually asked her for it, she had just followed the two of them out to the cars. Hadn't even spent a full twenty-four hours with a Winchester and already one of her friends was definitely dead. A place she had been frequenting since before she could legally drink was nothing but cinders and a memory now. She was probably right in assuming it was because of the info Ash had for Dean. Winchesters were the harbingers of death and danger. But up until now she hadn't quite understood that. She had always been quick to accept death, especially in this life. No one that knew the things they did didn't go out bloody in the end. It was just another part of being a Hunter, a gruesome death awaited them all. 'Some sooner than others.' She thought to herself, ears still perked to the men's conversation.

Dean had crossed his arms and had taken a defensive stance facing the older Hunter. "Come on, I'm not some psychic." He scoffed, and then seconds after the denial was clutching his head again. His knees buckled this time and he fell against the side of the Impala, crying out with a moan of agony. As he slid towards the dirt, Cori and Bobby had rushed forwards each grabbing a shoulder trying to slow his descent.

"Dean? Dean! Are you with me?" Bobby shook the shoulder he had a grip of a few times. Dean dropped his hands from his head. Hazel eyes were finally starting to refocus, and they turned to Cori's face first. Amber eyes, surrounded by dark lashes. The colors of an almost finished sunset framed her in a soft glow. A worried look on her face. 'Worried about me?' He thought, confused with her actions. They hardly knew each other. He was starting to get embarrassed, not liking this hot chick -hunter or not- seeing him like this. _Weak._ The voice inside him said, it sounded vaguely like his father. His eyes flicked over to Bobby.

"Yeah, I think so." They tried helping him to his feet, but he shook them both off. "I saw Sam. I saw him Bobby." He sounded excited, but not terribly so.

Bobby was nodding as if his theory had been correct. "So, it was a vision."

Dean nodded and fixed how his leather jacket was hanging off him. His mood much improved. He had seen just enough to give him a new energy. "Yeah, I don't know how, but yeah." He blew out a stream of air. "Whew! That was about as fun as getting kicked in the jewels."

Bobby wasted no time and started asking questions. "What else did you see?"

"Uh… There was a bell." Dean scratched the side of his head, thinking back to what he just saw.

"What kind of bell?" Bobby asked leading him through the question, slowly getting impatient.

"Like a big bell with some kinda engraving on it, I dunno." Dean shrugged and stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets.

"Engraving?" He asked again, slowly, his words sounded a bit more worried than before.

Dead nodded his head in confirmation, catching the tone of Bobby's voice. "Yeah."

Her head snapped up at Bobby's question. "Was it a tree? Like, an oak tree?" Cori asked. Bobby had looked over at Cori, their eyes met, both knew exactly what she was asking about. Dean was nodding again looking between the two of them slightly confused.

"Yeah, exactly."

Cori's heart had started beating a smidgen faster at Dean's admission. That place was horrible, she never wanted to set foot there. Ever. Now, it looked like she was going to. 'Fucking Winchesters...' Sighing heavily she turned from Bobby and looked back at Dean. He looked intense, like he would possibly cut the answer out of her if she didn't give it up. Focused solely on her. She was trying to ignore the tingle she felt as his gaze bore down on her. 'Good Lord this man, hmmm, I wonder what he-' She cut off her gutter brain as fast as it had started up. 'Bad time dumb-dumb.' She mentally berated herself. Quickly answering Dean, who was eagerly awaiting her next words. "If that's the case, I know where Sam is."

* * *

The Impala and Chevelle pulled off of the dry dirt of a back road and stopped side by side at the edge of the woods. It was thick and dark and altogether quite intimidating. "Looks like the rest of the way's on foot," Bobby said as he and Cori of the climbed out of the car. Bobby met Dean over at the Impala's trunk. Dean popped it open and then lifted the false bottom. Grabbed a shotgun and propped the twelve-gauge up, to hold it open while they went through it. He handed Bobby a gun, grabbed his own pistol, sticking it in the back of his pants, and went back in for another shotgun, grabbing a favored one.

Cori was rustling through the duffle bag she had stuffed beside her feet in the car, finding what she was after she zipped up the bag and stood straight to close the passenger door of Bobby's car. She had tied her hair back up, a sawed-off in her left hand. A small army of thin, pure iron throwing knives were strapped to her right thigh overtop her dark grey jeans. A pistol stuck out of the back of her pants as well. She walked over to the two men.

Taking her in with brows raised, Dean licked his lips slightly. He was never one to ignore a good looking woman. The normal cocky attitude had returned in full force once he knew where his brother was, and they were going to get him. He could feel the adrenaline starting to pump through his veins. Three flashlights at the ready. "Let's go." The other two nodded and they began their trek through the woods to the most haunted town in America.

The three Hunters had walked for what felt like hours through the dark woods. Every little sound sending them on edge. It had started raining about an hour ago. Not hard, just enough to annoy. Finally, the dense trees gave way to a field and past that they saw an old pioneer style town. She could faintly make out a body hanging from the old water tower. Lovely. "Welcome, Dean, to Cold Oak," Cori muttered softly from his right. It was run down and completely abandoned. All of them were on their guard, waiting for the proverbial pin the drop as they walked up the road towards the buildings.

They caught sight of two tall figures in the field in the distance. It looked like they were trying to kill each other. The hits they were throwing and taking meant to injure and maim. The three Hunters had already started walking faster towards them. As they got closer, Cori could see it was two men. One of the men -the taller of the two- had a long metal bar that glinted in the moonlight as he swung at the other man on the ground knocking him out. He stood there over the unconscious body for a moment as if contemplating something. It was then that Dean called out.

"Sam!"

The tall caucasian man - who she figured must be Dean's brother - looked up quickly when he heard his name, dropping the bar he was holding. His eyes grew wide, a large smile blossomed on his face. "Dean!" He yelled back in happiness, utterly relieved his brother was here. He was breathing heavily from the recent fight. clutching at his very injured arm, staggering from exhaustion. He took a few faltering steps forwards towards them. Feeling like he could finally relax once he saw Dean's face, in his effort to catch his breath, he didn't notice the man he had been fighting with wake up.

The dark-skinned man grabbed the knife Sam discarded earlier before their fight, trying to get the other man to trust him. He sprang up quickly, silently behind Sam, who had still yet to notice. Sam's elation at seeing his brother and Bobby coming towards him, the extreme fatigue he felt. He was barely standing up. They were blocking the rest of his senses. It didn't help that the third person with Dean and Bobby, was a young woman he had never seen before, and his eyes were almost instantly glued to her figure. Hail, the victorious man.

Dean had noticed though. Both Cori and Bobby as well, but it was Dean that called out, "Sam! Look out!" his pace picking up. They were all still too far away to do anything to stop what was happening in front of them in seconds. Not that it stopped Cori or Bobby from drawing their pistols. It was almost in unison, but not fast enough. The man behind Sam lunged at him quickly, stabbing the knife deep into Sam's back.

Dean looked completely horrified as he yelled, "Noooooo!" taking off sprinting towards his brother. The other man was wearing filthy US army fatigues, and he was twisting the knife with skill. Creating a massive wound and was only satisfied with the sharp SNAP-CRACK of something breaking inside of Sam. Sam dropped to his knees, his eyes slowly losing focus, the dark skinned man let go of the weapon and started running away as fast as he could go. Bobby and Cori were chasing after him as he fled, both unloading round after round in his direction as soon as he was clear of Sam.

Dean, however, had kept running towards his brother. Sliding on his knees to a stop in the mud in front of his brother. Sam hadn't moved, a look of shock on his face. Dean grabbed at Sam's shirt shaking him the slightest bit, in an attempt to keep him conscious. "Sam!" Who fell forwards onto Dean's shoulder. "Whoa, whoa, Sam." Dean quickly caught his brother. "Sam! Hey! Come here. Let me look at you." He mumbled into the shaggy dark hair of the man. Dean looked down at Sam's back, placing his hand over the wound, it covered his entire palm in blood. Red flowed freely through his fingers. Dean was shaking, but still trying to keep his head, he choked back a sob. "Hey, look at me. It's not even that bad. It's not that bad, all right?" His voice was quivering along with the rest of him. "Sammy? Sam!" He was looking at Sam, whose head was beginning to wobble. "Hey, listen to me. We're gonna patch you up, okay?" His grip on his brother's clothes tightened as he pulled Sam closer to him. "You're gonna be good as new. I'm gonna take care of you. I've got you. That's my job, right?" He was beginning to ramble now.

Bobby and Cori had long since returned. Not entirely sure if either of them had managed to hit the bastard that did this, though she had heard a loud grunt of what could have been pain from the trees they were shooting into. She sure hoped she got him. Unwilling to leave Dean and Sam alone in the extremely haunted town, they had quickly turned back. Standing off to the side, they watched the sad reunion of the two brothers. Cori's arms were around her middle, she was fighting back tears watching them. Not wanting to intrude any more, she grabbed Bobby's arm and they both turned away from the two men. Giving as much privacy as they could.

Bobby's face was stone, completely blank, devoid of emotion. Most of him refusing to believe this was happening. But the tears slowly running down his cheeks into his beard, were proof of feeling. Proof he understood that it was happening. They had both realized that Sam was breathing his last breaths. Cori had come to terms with it a lot quicker than Bobby had. Long ago learning a difficult lesson in the denial of death. Face dry, but brown eyes shining.

Dean had pushed Sam away from him just enough to get a look at his face. His hazel eyes bright with tears. "Right? Gotta watch out for my pain-in-the-ass little brother?" He touched the side of Sam's face, still getting no response from him. "Sam? Sam! Sammy!" He was yelling now. Sam's eyes slid shut slowly and his entire body slumped forwards heavily on Dean's shoulder, the larger man's full weight now held up by Dean. "No. No-no-no-no. Oh, God! No, Fuck!" Tears were streaming down Deans face as he held his younger brother tightly in his arms, rocking them both back and forth in the mud. "SAM!" He yelled out into the night. Silence and a light rain, the only reply to the man's heart-wrenching sobs.

Sam had died.


	3. Devils Gate

_I don't own any of the rights to Supernatural. The show, the characters, nothing. This is their world, I just play with it. Though, the OC Corinne is mine._

_More love and brownies to Glittergrrrl05! My wonderful Beta. Seriously, she rocks. :D_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Devils Gate**

The sun was shining brightly through the window of the motel room. After what had transpired in the fields of Cold Oak, Cori and Bobby had helped Dean try to compose himself enough to move from the ground. Working together they had carried Sam's large body through the miles of dense trees back to the cars. It was slow work; the angry spirits didn't make it easy for them. She had already used most of the iron throwing knives she had brought with her, and Bobby was almost out of ammo. Dean was wobbly on his feet, hadn't said a word, and was barely helping them fight the spirits off and make it out of the woods alive. Expression blank, his tears had dried up, feet only moved at Cori's insistence that they kept doing so. Once they had reached the parked cars, she had wordlessly taken Bobby's keys from him and got into the driver's side of the Chevelle. With Dean cradling Sam to his chest in the backseat, Bobby drove the Impala to the closest motel, Cori not far behind him.

The pale form of Sam Winchester lay still on the old motel bed and moth eaten mattress he had been laid on. His jacket and flannel had been removed, and Dean had switched his shirt out for a clean one. One that wasn't covered in blood. It had been two days since they had arrived at the motel. Sam's eyes were closed; he looked peaceful, almost like he was sleeping. Dean was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, arms folded tightly across his chest. Just staring at Sam. Not really caring about much else. Eyes stuck on his brother's face. Cori was nowhere to be seen when Bobby walked through the door. '_Probably at the Bar, goldfish that she is...' _Bobby thought. He had a bucket of fried chicken under his arm, the puffy vest he always wore slightly impeding his hold on it. "Dean?" He called into the room. "Brought you this back."

But the other man's shoulders just hunched down a little further as he muttered loud enough for Bobby to hear, "No thanks. I'm fine." He hadn't even looked around to answer. Bobby had come through the front door and immediately gone to the kitchenette at the back, putting the bucket of chicken on the table there. Walking back through the open concept motel room, he stopped behind Dean. His eyes narrowed as he frowned at Dean's back.

"You should eat somethin'," he tried to insist. Who knew when Dean had eaten last, or showered? The reply was just as short and terse as the others. Dean was still wearing the same clothes he had shown up to Bobby's place in.

"I said I'm fine." He grumbled. He pulled a flask out of a pocket and took a swig from it, leaving the cap unscrewed like he was planning on drinking more. His eyes still focused on Sam's face. Bobby sighed and walked further into the room.

"Dean… I hate to bring this up, I really do." He fixed the hat on his head. "But, don't you think maybe it's time… we bury Sam?" Bobby asked uncomfortably, knowing it had to be said, but not liking it just the same.

"No." Dean's voice was hard.

"We could," Bobby sighed rubbing his beard, "maybe…" He trailed off.

Dean turned around slowly to face the other man. His voice was calm, his body language was relaxed. "What? Torch his corpse? No. Not yet." He took another drink from the flask.

Bobby took another step forwards. "I want you to come with me."

Dean huffed out a dry laugh. "I'm not going anywhere."

Bobby started, his voice pleading. "Dean, please. It's been two days. Come back with me an' Cori."

"Would you cut me some slack?" He asked curtly, looking away back at Sam and then back to Bobby. He took a few steps away from the body of his brother and towards the other Hunter.

"I just don't think you should be alone, that's all. I gotta admit, we could use your help," Bobby attempted. Dean just snorted. "Something big is going down Dean - end-of-the-world big."

Dean snarled abruptly and yelled, "Well, then let it end!" His eyes were flashing fiercely and his nostrils flared.

Bobby shook his head in disbelief, expression akin to having been punched in the stomach. "You don't mean that," he breathed out.

Dean quickly got in Bobby's personal space, their faces close. His eyes quickly looking over every inch of the older man's face. "You don't think so? Huh? You don't think I've given enough? You don't think I've paid enough?" His voice was calm but angry. "I'm done with it. All of it. And if you know what's good for you, you'll turn around and get the hell outta here," he all but spat.

Shaking his head, Bobby just stood there, not quite being able to take in what Dean had just said. He knew the boy was distraught but shit was going downhill fast. Dean needed to start thinking straight. Suddenly Dean lashed out angrily and roughly shoved Bobby away from him. "Go! And take that piece of ass with you!" At the shocked look on Bobby's face Dean seemed to realize what he had just done. He looked at his feet contritely. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please, just go."

Bobby closed his eyes and with a sigh started to turn around to leave. Defeated. "You know where I'll be." Turning his back Bobby walked out of the room, down the short hall and out the door. Dean heard the click before he swallowed hard. Turning and looked back at Sam's body laying on the mattress, tears slowly falling from his eyes. Dean grabbed a chair and pulled it tiredly to the side of the bed, still filled with grief.

"You know," He started slowly, eyes roaming Sam's face. "when we were little - you were five maybe? - you just started asking questions. 'How come we didn't have a mom? Why do we always have to move around? Where'd Dad go when he'd take off for days at a time.' " He gave a shuddering sigh. "I remember begging you, 'Quit asking Sammy. Man, you don't wanna know.' Fuck, I just wanted you to be a kid… Just for a bit longer." He looked at his brother's face, his eyes shining with tears. "I always tried to protect you, keep you safe… Dad didn't even have to tell me. It was my responsibility, y'know. It's like I had one job…" He paused his breathing hitched. "I had one job..." He broke down and let more tears fall, face in his hands. He sat and sobbed.

Lifting his head he looked back at his brother, "And I screwed it up… I blew it." Admitting to the still form before him, his greatest failure. "And for that, I am so fucking sorry…" He started wiping the tears from his face, in an attempt to calm himself. Taking a deep breath he continued, "I guess that's just what I do… Let down the people I love. I let Dad down... And now, I guess I'm just supposed to let you down, too." He growled at the floorboards of the motel bedroom. "How can I? How am I supposed to live with that?" He choked on his words, but took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears from returning. Helpfully, anger was quickly replacing his sadness. "What am I supposed to do Sammy? God..." He inhaled sharply through his nose and yelled out into the empty room. "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!"

* * *

Unbeknownst to Dean, Corinne hadn't left with Bobby. She had told the old grizzled Hunter to go without her. That she was gonna stick around at the bar here, get her drink on, and catch a cab back to the Junkyard later. She was sitting at a table by herself in the noisy bar, drinking her third beer. Getting tired with looking at the drunks around her, and definitely not finding anyone that piqued her interest, she looked out the window to her right.

It was perfect timing too, as she watched the door to the motel room across the small parking lot fly open. Dean was rushing out, looking like a man on a mission, and the Impala drove off with a squeal of its tires. She took a swig from the bottle in her hands, having taken note that Sam's body wasn't with him when he left. Neither were any of the bags she knew he had brought inside with him. Sighing to herself, looking away after she could no longer see tail lights. Having a pretty damn good idea of where he was off to so quickly. '_Winchester, you get more interesting each second.'_ She finished the last of her beer and got up from the table, weaving her way through the throng of older and very drunk men, she stepped out of the bar. A slight chill in the air, she wrapped her leather jacket, around her. Contemplating going over and checking up on Sam's body. Shrugging the idea off as not really her business she hailed a nearby taxi and got in the back. Settling in for the drive back to Bobby's.

It was around 4 a.m. when she arrived and the house was quiet, but she knew Bobby had heard her enter. Keys jingling loudly in the silent front hallway. Assuming he was sleeping, she just went up to her room, telling herself she'd shower once she got a few hours sleep. After all these years Bobby had still considered it her room, instead of a spare in his house. Though this last week was the most it had been used in years. Stripping off her clothing - down to panties and the tank top - she crawled beneath the covers that were waiting for her. Snuggling herself down in the blankets, she couldn't help but thinking about just _what_ Dean was going to say to cover up his actions. She assumed he wasn't going to tell Sam. No one ever wanted to hear you had sold your soul for them. But Bobby would know, '_Bobby's gonna be _pissed _when he finds out what Dean did_…'

She woke up to the sound of Bobby shuffling past her closed door and down the stairs. Her eyes opening, they lazily focused on the digital clock on a small table across the room. 7:15 a.m. was staring back at her in bright red. "Ughhhh…" She groaned. Pushing herself off the bed, sitting up slowly, she yawned. Running a hair through the mess that was her hair, when her fingers got stuck she started grumbling. Sliding off the bed she padded barefoot to the open door that led to a tiny three-piece ensuite bathroom off her bedroom. Jerking her hand, still trying to get it through the knot in her unruly hair.

By the time she had showered, dressed, and made it down, she went into the kitchen to find Bobby sitting at the table drinking a coffee, a plate of toast in front of him. Bright sunshine coming in through the windows. Erasing the spring rain of last night. He has raised his eyes from the newspaper he was reading, "Mornin' kid." She grumbled a reply in his general direction. He chuckled to himself in response, if there was one thing Bobby knew about her, it was how irritable she was before she'd had a coffee. Shuffling towards the coffee maker, she swiped a mug from the dish rack and went about making herself the drink. Getting the milk from the fridge, she closed the door with her foot. Next grabbing a spoon from the drawer, which she closed grumpily with her hip.

When she was finished with her little cranky display, and had finally taken a sip of the steaming liquid, she sighed happily - an almost moan - into the mug. The change in her mood was physically apparent.

"Want me to leave you two alone?" Bobby smirked from under his trucker cap.

She rubbed the side of the blue mug suggestively. "Maybe. I'm feeling a bit frisky." Returning his smirk, both of them trying to ignore the topic of yesterday, using humor to cover up the questions.

"Well then, I think I'll go out to the garage, finish up." Chair sliding against the linoleum flooring, Bobby stood from the table, fixing the cap on his greying hair. "I shouldn't be more than a few hours. Then you can get outta my hair." He grabbed a slice of toast, she nodded while taking another sip of her coffee.

Smiling at him from her spot, leaned against the counter. "Sounds good, I'll be in here, probably reading. Maybe I'll make lunch later." He mumbled something under his breath about the books, and walked out of the back door, it shut noisily behind him.

The second the door had closed, the smile dropped from her face. After everything that happened the other night, she wasn't too sure she could, or even _should_ just go back out on the road. But if Bobby wanted her gone, she would go. The world was changing rapidly around her, though not in the same pace as it had before, it was still just as life altering. For example: more of the people she was close to were dead.

Swirling the contents of her mug around a little, she pushed off the counter and went to the study/library. Surrounded by books, she felt at home, at peace. She belonged with books, they had always been a source of comfort for her. She needed that right now, soothed by the plethora of words on paper, the smell was even calming to her. Needed to be distracted while she had been forced to think about things she'd rather leave buried. She knew where Dean had gone last night. Understanding why, she truly did, not that she approved. It wasn't her place. Besides, it would be insulting to both of them if she judged him on it.

And the _feeling_ she had from those two boys. It was heady, her skin had prickled. In the very marrow of her bones she just knew they were important. When she had met Dean it was like a switch flipped on inside her head, driving her towards him. Fueled further as they had found Sam. The very name Winchester had always held a sort of fascination for her. When she was little, she would read her father's journals in secret. First just to read about her Dad's hunts. Then about this man he had crossed, and partnered with a few times. John. Reading everything there was written about the man, and then, the family. No idea why she was so drawn to them and their story.

After her introduction to Dean, though, part of her had swelled in recognition. It confused the hell out of her, made her review every single thing she had been told by her Dad and Bobby. Bobby had said something big was going down, shortly before she met the eldest son. '_I guess I only half believed him…'_ Then last night happened. Dean taking off in the dead of night. She had a damn good intuition, and was pretty sure she knew what he did. The Roadhouse burning down. Ash was dead. They hadn't found Ellen's body. That happened two days ago. Sam being kidnapped by demons, and then dying in his brother's arms in the most haunted town in America. That happened too.

Her mind was busy twisting in on itself as she sat behind the cluttered desk, drinking more of her coffee. A fraction of her brain wondering where that bottle of whiskey went. In the end of her inner monologue, coming to the conclusion to stick around. Those Winchester boys would be back. Call it another one of her feelings. She had decided to help them, if she could, if they wanted it. Bobby wouldn't be happy about her decision. Then again, he never had been. Cori had always done things her way, acting mostly on this strange sort of instinct she had. It was generally never wrong. It was one of her biggest secrets. She had never even spoken to her father about it, fearing the wrath of his hatred against all things supernatural. A tiny sad smile crept upon her lips, her thoughts having turned to her family. Setting down the coffee, she dragged one of her book bags over. Having removed all her things from the car while Bobby repaired it. If the world was going to hell in a handbasket, surely something in her forefathers' journals would help. It was those hand written volumes, that she had kept close, treasured. Exactly twenty-six books, that hadn't stayed behind at Bobby's.

* * *

Cori spent the next few hours pouring over page after page, studying everything she could find on why there was absolutely nothing going on. Books she had put away earlier in the week lay open on the desk for reference. Eventually having begun taking her notes in a leatherbound book of her own. In the end, closing her beat up laptop and shoving it and all of her books back in their bags, she sat back in the chair. Feeling oddly physically drained, but extremely mentally alert. Staring down and the maps she had pulled out. Not quite believing what she was looking at. Bobby had walked back into the house reminiscent of the other day. He cleaned his hands with a rag, threw it into the trash bin and walked towards her sitting at his desk.

"Bobby…" She breathed out, looking up at him when he entered the room. Her eyes were wide. Not frightened, but shocked. "Look at this... It's like it happened overnight." The older man had glanced quickly at what she was indicating. His eyebrows disappeared beneath his hat. His jaw dropping slightly, at what she was showing him. The demonic omens that had been looking for, they were everywhere.

"Christ, that's not good." He muttered still looking down at the maps. He moved around the desk, coming to stand beside her as he took a closer look at some of the notes she had jotted down. She recognized the look on the man's face. The need the know, the thirst for knowledge. The questions were plain on his features, and so Cori vacated the desk chair. Without acknowledgment of her action, he had just slowly slid into it. Eyes scanning quickly, his lips mouthing every second or third word he read.

From her new spot standing to his left, she put her hand on his shoulder. Not interrupting the absorbed man. But speaking to him anyways. "I'll go get started on lunch." He must have heard her in his newfound tunnel vision, he muttered his thanks, and a request for a beer. '_Same old Bobby.'_ She smiled at him fondly, giving his shoulder a small squeeze before leaving the study. A sudden craving for grilled cheese inspiring her to make an entire platter. Humming to herself, she had moved gracefully around the kitchen despite her heavy boots, grabbing the things she needed to make the intended lunch.

Almost half an hour later, she was almost done. One more sandwich left to go, of the fifteen she had prepped beforehand. When she heard the knock from the front door, and Bobby get up to go answer it. She was willing to bet good money, that she knew who had come to call. Turning off the gas stove, she pushed the now empty frying pan to the back burner to cool off. Tossing the spatula in the sink. Hearing the voices carrying from the hallway that she had expected to hear Cori was almost proud of herself for being right. She put the platter of grilled cheese sandwiches on the kitchen table, and had turned around to grab them all a beer from the fridge as the three men entered the kitchen. She called over her shoulder, bent over in the fridge, moving things around to get at the beer. "Lunch is on the table, gents." Her back turned to them. Deciding to pretend she didn't know Sam had returned with Dean. Closing it with her hip, then setting one of the bottles down on the counter for herself.

The chairs of the kitchen table scratched loudly behind her, followed by a, "Hey, thanks. Uhh... whoever you are." It was a new voice, one she had never heard before. Well, once, but she wasn't sure she was going to count that. It obviously belonged to Sam. He sounded cheerful, and from that she extrapolated that he had no idea what Dean had done for him. Turning around fully her eyes widened (artfully playing surprised).

"Woah! Um, yeah. No problem." Even her voice went along with her facade. She looked Sam over, he was inhaling a sandwich. She then noticed how stiffly Bobby was standing, his mouth pressed into a firm line. '_You first, Mr. Grumpy.'_ She opened the beer with a '_pop_', using the edge of the counter to do so. A skill that had taken her many broken bottles to perfect.

Bobby silently took the beer Cori handed him. Reaching down, he snagged one of the sandwiches off the platter, his movements jerky. It was obvious to her just how close he was to exploding. But Sam hadn't seemed to notice a thing. Bobby leaned against the wall instead of sitting down.

Her gaze moved onwards to Dean who was standing beside his seated brother, almost defiantly. As if challenging her to do or say something. "Afternoon, Dean." She gave him a kind smile and handed him a freshly opened beer.

His eyebrows had shot up, but he accepted the bottle. Dean was shocked. Completely expecting from her, the same attitude and look he was receiving from Bobby. "Uh, yeah. Hey, Cori." He quickly took a swig of the cold beer to cover up his reaction to her, non-reaction. '_Right well, okay. Who the hell is this chick?'_ He reminded himself to talk to Bobby about that. Sam apparently hadn't noticed the awkwardness floating around the room. He was chowing down on his third sandwich and had almost finished his beer. But he had looked up when Dean said her name.

"You know each other?" Sam looked surprised, eyes darting from his brother, who nodded, to the pretty brunette that had served them lunch. It was honestly the last thing he had ever expected after entering Bobby's house. But damn if it wasn't welcome. '_Cori? It rings a bell.'_ He had heard it before. So he quickly wracked his brain for anything he could remember about the name, but as soon as he started, his brain cut him off. '_Eh, it'll come to me.'_ Deciding that _looking_ at the young woman dressed in tight jeans, scuffed up boots and a worn out AC/DC t-shirt, was much more worth his time. He had tried to discreetly look her over, but from the smirk that appeared on her face, he hadn't been as careful as he thought. She didn't call him out on it, just drank some of her own beer. He finished the last of his food, and wiped his hands on his jeans. "Hey, Cori right? I'm Sam Winchester." He stood from the table, extending a hand to her.

"Yep, that'd be me. Corinne Folan, but please, just call me Cori. And _you_ are enormous." She sized him up, then took his hand with a smile and a small laugh. His hand greatly enveloping her tiny one. Giving Sam the same flirtatious treatment she had given Dean their first meeting. "Big hands. Big feet to match I expect. Want a beer?" She smirked at the slight blush that quickly formed on his cheeks. '_Oh! You're adorable!' _She thought as her smile turned into a grin. Sam at twenty-three still had a baby face, not quite having grown up yet. Big green eyes and shaggy brown hair that fell over his eyebrows, stopping just above his eyes. He stood at 6'7", making her an entire foot shorter than he was. He towered over her as they shook hands in greeting.

"Sure, I'll take a beer." He gave the short woman his most charming smile. The he froze. It clicked suddenly in his brain. "Oh! Wow!" Sam announced, and began shaking her hand again with renewed vigor. "I know who you are!" He looked so excited. Cori was almost in giggles and extracted her hand from the giant puppy. Sam turned around and looked at Dean eye wide like he couldn't believe he was so nonchalant about the woman in the kitchen with them. Turning back to her he had seemed to reign himself in, but still had a large smile on his face.

She did laugh then. The sound helped to lighten the dark mood seeping from Bobby, who was still standing silent against the wall. Drinking his beer, eyes shooting daggers at Dean. "Not quite what you were expecting?" Cori asked.

Sam shook his head in the negative, the smile still wide on his face. "No. Honestly, with a name like Cori, I thought you were a guy." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Dean was shaking his head, not understanding one bit what his brother was going on about. But content at least one of them knew who the brunette was. Doing his best to ignore the looks Bobby was giving him, Dean sat down in Sam's vacated seat. Helping himself to the few grilled cheeses that were left.

Sam tried to ask as casually as he could, "Is it true about that coven of Witches in Oregon? All on your own? And the double Shapeshifters in Alabama?" Sam cleared his throat and looked like a starstruck teenager. Dean had stopped chewing, his mouth hanging open. He looked over at Cori so fast she thought his eyes were gonna spin.

"Wait, that was _you?_" He asked around the mouthful of food, astonished. He snapped his mouth shut and finishing his bite. He coughed slightly as it went down weird in his hurry to swallow. Thumping his fist on his chest, taking a mouthful of beer to help with the cough. "Uh, well, wow." He gave her another once over, his face clearly displaying his surprise at the revelation. "Shit, now I feel stupid."

She gave them both a grin, "We were introduced days ago Dean." She chided, "Well boys, I'm down for reliving my greatest hits and all. We can do it over drinks later." She tipped her bottle back, finishing her nearly full beer in one breath. Putting her empty on the counter, she grabbed herself and Sam a fresh one out of the fridge. "First rounds on me. But before that, we've got something to show you two. " She gave them a wink, having reverted to her usual flirty nature. Popped the caps off the beers using the counter edge once more, walked towards the two men, pressed a beer into Sam's hand, then continued past them, and out of the room. She could feel their eyes on her retreating figure. '_Ego boost!'_ She was mentally dancing, her outward appearance, calm and composed. A confident little wiggle in her walk. Wanting to high five herself for having taken a shower and putting effort into her appearance today. Smiling to herself as she walked, thoroughly enjoying the recognition and amazed reactions they had given her. She wasn't used to being so openly recognized for her skills and hunting successes. That it helped dispel some of the awkwardness was a bonus.

Bobby was shaking his head at the boys, grumbling under his breath. "Idjits…" Got himself a new beer as well, and followed Cori out of the kitchen, leaving Dean and Sam alone. They looked at each other almost in unison. Their features both morphing into matching looks of awe. Dean was the one to speak, sounding exactly like Sam had earlier when he was talking to Cori. Completely impressed.

"Sammy, we're gonna go out for drinks with Cori Folan. _The _Cori." He almost reverently whispered. He stood from the table. "Holy shit, I didn't even realize… She just made _us_ food…"

Sam, though agreeing with Dean, scoffed at his brother. "And you told _me_ to play it cool if we ever met him-" He closed his mouth when Dean cut him off.

"Her. _Definitely_ not a guy." The appreciative tone apparent in his voice and on his face. He made curvy gestures with his hands to support his assessment.

"Heh, oh yeah." Sam nodded his head, shaggy hair swaying with the movement. The brothers grinned at each other and followed Bobby and Cori out of the kitchen.

* * *

Bobby was sitting behind the desk, looking comfy in the faded leather chair. But his face was harsh as the boys entered the study. To Bobby's left, Cori was leaning casually against the mantle. An amused smirk plastered on her face as she watched them enter and try to school their features. But when her eyes wandered over to Dean, her eyes grew just a tiny bit sadder, though the smile never left her face. Dean didn't miss the look either.

Bobby took a swig of his beer and narrowed his eyes at the brothers. "If y'all are done making bedroom eyes at each other, we found something. Well, this one did most of the work." He nodded his head to the left indicating Cori. "But I'm not sure what the hell it means."

Both of the boys had perked up at the tone of his voice, standing straighter, at attention like soldiers. Seemingly understanding the look they were getting from Bobby. '_That's my babygirl, hands off.' _Dean had got the picture loud and clear. This chick, Corinne _-Cori-_ was family to the older man. Like a daughter, and Bobby's wrath would be brutal. Sam likewise understood the warning in Bobby's voice. He swallowed the lump in his throat and approached the desk, Dean following suit.

"What is it?" Sam asked, all business now. Having wiped away all other thoughts than the matter at hand. An easy thing to do when it came to their work.

"Demonic omens… like a fuckin' tidal wave. Cattle deaths, lightning storms. They skyrocketed from out of nowhere. Here." Bobby pointed at the map spread out on the desk. It was covering everything else. He was pointing to Wyoming. "All around here." He was circling his finger around the state. "Except for one place… Southern Wyoming."

Dean's brows were furrowed together, he had moved closer, coming to stand beside Cori who had moved from her place by the mantle. Both looking down at the map. Dean was mentally cheering as he checked her out again in his peripheral. "Wyoming?"

"Yeah. That one area's totally clean - like spotless. It's almost as if... " Bobby trailed off and looked over at Cori who was staring at the place on the map, still trying to suss out the problem.

Sam pressed on, "What?" he looked up from the map to Bobby and followed his gaze over to Cori, who was the one that replied.

"The demons are surrounding it." She stated, looked around the room at the other three Hunters present. She knew there was something about Southern Wyoming that she should be remembering. It was gnawing at her, and it was going to continue until she figured it out.

"But, you don't know why?" Dean questioned, as he looked up from the map over at her. Grateful for the excuse to look at her again. It was almost ridiculous. Their eyes met, and she could swear she was melting. She faltered in answering him.

Bobby found his opening and grabbed it. "No, and by this point our eyes are swimming. Sam, would you take a look at it? Maybe you could catch something Corinne and I missed." Cori had shot her gaze over to Bobby when he used her full name. Kicking herself in the ass for making goo-goo eyes at Dean in full view of her 'Uncle'.

Sam was nodding slowly - a tiny frown on his face - at the bite in Bobby's voice. "Yeah, sure." Not quite knowing where it was coming from, but he had an idea. Assuming it was about his and Dean's slight 'staring problem'.

Bobby had stood up, moving around the desk, he grabbed Dean by the front of his brown leather jacket and physically moved him away from the table and Cori. "Come on, Dean. I got some more books out in the truck. Help me lug 'em in." It was not a request.

"No problem Bobby…" Dean was suddenly apprehensive of being alone with the gruff man. Knowing the true reason behind the rough actions. Bobby quickly man-handled Dean out of the study and through the back door. Sam's eyes narrowed as he watched them go.

Cori crossed her arms on front of her watching them leave. Sighing she turned to Sam, a small pout on her lips. "Don't worry about it Sam, I'm sure Bobby's just being crotchety like always. Defending my honor and such." She supplied trying to hopefully distract him from thinking too hard about the harsh treatment Dean was getting. "Want another beer? I seem to need a new one." She chugged the three quarters that was left in her bottle. Finishing it with a smile. "Be right back, Monstro." Sam just nodded at her deciding not to comment on her drinking. He moved the map towards him, and started going through the things underneath for anything to help him. Though his mind was going back and forth at war with itself. '_What the hell Bobby…'_ Was Bobby just being overprotective of Cori -a woman the man saw as family, and an exceptional Hunter who was well known in their community- or was there something more?

Cori exited the study quickly, going straight to the kitchen. She was indeed getting her and Sam a new beer, but she was also eavesdropping. '_Bad, bad girl Corinne Margaret…'_ She internallyreprimanded herself, but still hovered near the kitchen window that faced the junkyard out back. She heard snippets of the conversation, confirming what she already knew. Dean had sold his soul last night, and now Sam was alive. What she wasn't expecting to hear, was just how long Dean had. '_A year?! What kinda fuckin' deal is that?'_ But she had always been a smart girl, rapidly coming to the conclusion that Dean's fine ass must be one of Hell's most wanted. A deal like his, was one in a million. Few got such harsh treatment. She was turning away to head back to Sam when she overheard more that she didn't know. John Winchester had recently died, having given up the Colt to a demon. The gun that could kill just about anything, and also sold his own soul to save Dean's life. The curious expression on her face faltered as the conversation was getting more and more emotional. '_Wow, Bobby, you really must care for these boys… I had no idea...'_ She made sure to get the beers before quickly leaving the kitchen before either of the men came back to the house or realized she was there.

Setting the fresh bottle in front of Sam's face, Cori took pleasure when he jumped a bit from his seat in the chair. Having been so focused on the book in his hands, and had zoned out not hearing her come back into the room. "Boo." Her mouth upturning. Sam had noticed just how cheery she was, and didn't buy it for a minute. He knew she was a Hunter like them, a wicked good one at that. He knew the stories. She had to have her own shit piled up. But here she was smiling and joking. Flirting with him and his brother, like she hadn't just learned demons were swarming an area the next state over.

"So, uh, Cori…" Sam began, trying to be tactful, pretty girl or not, he was halfway sure she could kick his ass. "How do you know Bobby?" Wanting to know more about her, figuring that was a safe thing to ask about. She appeared surprised at the question though and he tried to backtrack immediately. "You, uh, don't have to tell me. Sorry." He was almost blushing again. Cori could have squealed and pinched his cheeks, but wanted to retain her image.

"Nah, it's fine Sam. Don't you worry your pretty little head." Cori grinned down at him, taller now that he was seated and she was standing. She took a sip from the cold beer in her hand. "He was a friend of my Dad's. They met met I was like four or five?" She shifted her weight from one hip to the other. "I lived here with Bobby for about three years back in the 90's." She smiled at him again, this time he could see nostalgia in it.

He face lit up in recognition. "Oh! That's your room upstairs? I thought it looked too girly for Bobby." He snickered and drank from his own bottle. He leaned back, getting comfortable in the chair.

"Yeah, it's seen more use in recent days, than it has in a _very_ long time. Bobby's fixing up my car, had to stick around for a bit." She moved just a little bit closer, the side of her leg nearly touching his arm. "Don't get me wrong though, he's very in tune with his feminine side." She smirked like he was sharing a secret with Sam. "Bobby and I used to have tea parties. Remind me to show you pictures sometime." Her grin was becoming infectious and Sam was having a hard time not joining her in her ever present good mood. She was leaning her hip against the desk, the t-shirt tightened just enough to draw his attention for a moment. Sam was beginning to have a hard time with other things as well.

"There's pictures? Hell yeah. Please tell me he's wearing something pink and a crown." He snorted into his beer at the imagery his mind was supplying him with. His body highly aware of how close the woman was to him.

Cori had nodded in affirmation. "Princess Bobby in his pretty crown." Both of them were laughing loudly, and hadn't hear the back door open or the three sets of footsteps come into the study.

"It was a tiara." Bobby rough voice came from the doorway. Sam and Cori looked up in unison, faces red from mirth. Dean and Bobby stood just inside the room, behind them a shorter person neither Cori or Sam had noticed yet. Both of the men had small smiles on their faces, though they had faltered when they both noticed how close Sam and Cori were to each other. But the smiles, Cori thought was odd. She had expected some injuries at least, from the direction the men were heading when she heard them.

She was lifting her beer to her lips when the person behind Bobby and Dean shoved passed them with a cheerful, "I thought you were a right beauty, Bob." and entered the room. The bottle slipped from Cori's fingers and clattered to the ground, beer pouring out onto the hardwood floors of Bobbys study/library. Her eyes wide, utterly disbelieving who she was seeing. An older woman, late 40's at least was standing there. About the same height as Bobby was with dark brown hair, a few strands glinting silver. Attired in the amounted to the Hunters uniform. Jeans, boots, flannel under a leather jacket.

"Ellen…" The words coming out in a small squeak. The sound so far, was very out of character for the young woman.

Ellen had been expecting to only find Sam in the room. Her eyes widened when they caught sight of the young woman leaning on the desk. "Corinne? Cori Folan. Holy hell…" The older woman turned and smacked Bobby in the arm. "Why didn't you tell me she was here?" She reprimanded the man.

Cori's face still had the same shocked expression, as she moved calmly around the side of the desk. In a sudden movement none of them were expecting, she grabbed a silver letter opener off the wood surface, and lunged at Ellen. Nostrils flared, eyes hard. But no war cry, Cori had moved silently. Instantly assuming the worst. She was almost sure Ellen was dead and this woman was not her. It couldn't be.

Dean had noticed her intentions as she moved around the desk. Faster than he thought himself possible, he came forwards and grabbed Cori, using her momentum to spin them around as he pried the letter opener from her. "Woah! Woah, Cori! Hey! We already did that. It's really her." The young woman in his arms instantly stilled and stopped fighting Dean for the sharp silver object in her hand. It took a few seconds longer before either of them moved away from each other. Ellen looked amused, Bobby looked grouchier. His younger brother however, had slunk down in the chair he was sitting it, with a grumpy look. Dean noticed the expression on Sam's face with an inward crow of victory. '_Jealous, Sammy?'_

Moving his arms slowly from around the smaller body, Dean stepped away from Cori. Rubbing the back of his neck, nervously remembering Bobby and Ellen were still in the room. He was happy to see the slight blush on Coris' face. So far, she had been so collected, so confidant. It was a definite boost to his pride, getting a reaction from her, of all women. It made him feel cockier than usual.

The two older Hunters turned and made their way towards the kitchen, knowing the three young ones would follow. Bobby sat Ellen down at the table, walked past her and grabbed shot glasses from the cupboard. "Bobby, this has gotta be the cleanest I have ever seen this place," Ellen said with an easy smile, leaning back comfortably in the dining chair. Dean, Cori and Sam all filed into the room, remaining standing. Leaving Ellen the only one sitting down. Bobby pushed a shot glass of Holy Water across the table towards her. "Bobby," She chided her old friend, "is this really necessary?"

The man gave her a small shrug. "Just a bit of Holy Water, shouldn't hurt." Ellen rolled her eyes swiped the shot glass from the table and down it quickly. She slid the glass back across the table towards Bobby.

"Whiskey now, it you don't mind." Ellen gave him a cheeky grin. She was answered with a new shot glass filled with the amber liquid. The men satisfied, began pulling out chairs moving to sit down with the older woman. Cori's eternally happy mood, had seemed to increase tenfold. She was nearly bouncing her way towards Bobby's liquor cabinet.

"Ellen, what the hell happened?" Dean asked leaning forwards looking at the woman. "How'd you get out?"

She looked him dead in the eye. Always having been a tough woman, never taking any shit, and now, he could see how emotional she really was. "I wasn't supposed to. I was supposed to be in there with everybody else." She scoffed at the now empty shot glass in front of her. "But we ran out of pretzels, of all things. It was just dumb luck." Bobby poured her another shot when she exhaled sharply, she looked over at Cori who had come to sit at the table, the glass in her hand filled with a clear liquid and ice. Ellen downed the shot Bobby had just poured her, slamming the glass on the table, motioning for another one. "Anyway, that's when Ash called. I could hear the panic in his voice." She sighed. "He told me to look in the safe. Then the call cut out. By the time I got back, the flames were sky-high. And everybody was dead. I couldn't have been gone more than 15 minutes…" Her voice cracked as she tapered off.

Cori had scooted her chair closer, until she was side-by-side with Ellen. She put an arm around the older woman, feeling her shaky breathing. Cori didn't say a word as she just held Ellen, and Ellen was letting her. Another thing Dean noticed, and had mentally stored away for later inspection. Sam looked completely sympathetic. "Sorry, Ellen."

She was starting to tear up, she leaned her head to the side. Laying it down on Cori's shoulder, taking comfort from the younger woman. "A lot of good people died in there. And I got to live." She sat backup, Cori moved her arm, the girl moment passed. Ellen grabbed the shot waiting for her and knocked it back quickly. "Lucky me," she said without humor, her face dry.

Bobby removed the shot glass and set a beer in front of Ellen. "El, you mentioned a safe?"

She nodded. "Yep, a hidden safe we keep - kept - in the basement." She corrected herself sadly. "And before you ask, you old grouch, no. The demons didn't get it." Ellen pulled a folded up paper from the pocket in her jeans. Unfolding it, she spread it out on the kitchen table for the lot of them to see. It was a map. Several black X's in specific places.

Dean had leaned closer, swallowing a mouthful of beer. "Wyoming," he stated, like he should have known. "What does this mean?" His fingers tracing over an X on the map. Sam was looking at it too, trying to figure out the mystery, like Bobby was beside him. Cori however, had taken one look at the map and was staring at it shocked. What had been nagging her before, it had finally clicked. Whatever she was trying to remember earlier, came back in the way sudden realization does. In an instant, and without a word, she stood up quickly. The wooden dining chair knocked over onto the floor. Garnering the sudden attention of the group. Not paying them any mind, she scrambled, out of the kitchen. Nearly tripping and falling over the chair and then her own feet, in her rush out of the room. A look a pure astonishment and understanding on her face. They heard her shuffling and muttering, from another room. Heavy things beings moved around, the sound of a stack of books falling over.

"Uhhhh, right." Sam utterly slowly, saying what they had all been thinking. Dean reached over, took her glass off the table, bringing it to his nose. He inhaled and made a face at the strong, overbearing scent of gin. Their eyes collectively on the doorway, the strange exit Cori made had left them all stunned. The four Hunters looked around at each other.

"Do we follow her?" Dean had shifted in his seat to look over at Bobby. The man he felt would know the most about this chick. Bobby was saved from answering when Cori's voice yelled from the other room.

"I don't believe it!" She sounded excited. Getting up from the table, the group moved from the kitchen, following Cori's enthusiastic chattering into the study. "I can't _believe_ I was so stupid… Didn't think..." She was muttering to herself. The four entered the room one after another. All curious about her sudden departure and exclamations.

"You got something Cori?" Sam asked, he had been the first to enter the study. She was standing behind the desk, holding a large leatherbound book open in her arms. It looked heavy, had to be easily twenty pounds. It sounded like it too when she thumped it down on the table, laying it open for them all to see. Bobby had been all over this library, sideways and backwards. Knew every book that was in here. He couldn't remember ever seeing that big honking thing before.

She was pointing down at the book she had laid out. "A lot more than just something. Look." She was definitely excited, as she pulled the map Ellen brought overtop the book. "Each of these X's," Cori pointed to different spots on the map, "is an abandoned frontier church, all of them mid-19th century. And all of them were built by Samuel Colt." She was purposefully ignoring the looks Bobby was giving her. Ellen and Sam were silent but eagerly waiting for her to continue.

Dean, who had been looking at all the marks Cori had pointed out, snapped his head in her direction at the mention of the name. "Samuel Colt - the demon-killing, gunmaking Samuel Colt?" She could hear the idolatry in his voice. She was nodding quickly, the look in her eyes making her appear younger.

"Yep, and there's more." She smiled at Dean. She loved knowledge, had a slight bad habit of hoarding it. This specific tome was special to her, it was one of the ones she had kept with her. She had brought it in with the others when Bobby was fixing her car. But sharing it with these people felt _right_. Besides, it would help with what was currently happening to the world.

"He built private railway lines." She pulled a black marker from somewhere underneath the the large book that was taking up most of the desk. "connecting church to church." She uncapped the marker. "Which just so happens, to lay out like this." She leaned down and with the marker, connected all the points on the map, her black lines tracing over where the rail lines were. Once she was done she stood straight, capping the marker with a know-it-all look on her face. A large black star was drawn on the map. She was trying to contain the thrill coming over her. Watching the four others in the room come to the conclusion she had.

Dean's eyes had widened. He looked impressed and eager at the same time. "Tell me that's not what I think it is." The rest of the group had come closer, now they all hovered around the desk. The pages were thick, and old. But far from brittle. At Bobby's closer inspection, he noticed the entire book was written on vellum. His eyebrows had raised further, hidden beneath his hat.

Sam looked like he had just be let in a huge secret. "It's a Devil's Trap. A 100-square mile Devil's Trap." He sounded as impressed as Dean looked.

"That's awesome! Iron line demons can't cross." Dean had stood up and looked at the rest of the group. He had hope on his face. _Finally_ they had stumbled on something useful. He and Sam were grinning stupidly at each other. Cori smirked at the two of them as they fanboyed a little bit.

Ellen had leaned forwards, and was tracing the large star with her finger tips. "I've never heard of anything that massive." She looked up from the map and over at Bobby, looking to see his reaction.

But Bobby wasn't looking at her. His gaze was stony as he was looking across the table at Cori. She was still avoiding his eyes, concentrating on the Winchester brothers. "No one has," Bobby replied to Ellen gruffly, not taking his eyes off of the young woman he considered family.

Dean and Sam were having a back and forth of their own. "And after all these years, none of the lines are broken? I mean, it still works?" Dean asked, Sam was nodding the affirmative, but it was Cori who answered.

"Definitely," she replied, her lips upturned from having watched the boy's moment. She was still doing her utmost to evade Bobby's gaze. Ellen was looking at her curiously as well, but for a different reason. '_I hope…'_

"How do you know?" Dean asked her, scratching his chin. It was rough with a five o'clock shadow. Sam had looked over at her too, a bit disappointed that she had essentially stolen his thunder, but in her pause he continued the line of thought.

"All those omens she and Bobby found." Sam looked at Dean, back to Cori and then over to Bobby and Ellen. "I mean the demons, they must be circling and they can't get in."

Bobby scoffed, "Yeah, well… they're trying." Ellen was standing close to him, and the perceptive people in the room had taken note of it. Cori had figured there was something going on between them, from the way he had searched for Ellen at the remains of the Roadhouse.

"Why? What's inside?" Ellen was looking to her left at Bobby, a small scowl on her face. Like she was thinking hard. She was, it was a tie between her curiosity about the large Devil's Trap, and wanting to know why Bobby was pretty much glaring at Cori.

Dean, who had moved away from the desk, walked closer and sat down in the chair, face blank. Though it was apparent his mind was turning itself over. He was staring at the map. "That's what I've been looking for. And, uh, there's nothing except an old cowboy cemetery. Right in the middle." The question plain in his tone as he tapped the center of the star. Obviously wondering the same as everyone else. Cori, who knew exactly what was there, didn't say a damn thing.

"Well, what's so important about a cemetery or…" Sam paused, mulling his words speaking. "What's Colt trying to protect?"

"Well, unless…" Dean said with a thoughtful look on his face. Sam had the same expression, Cori looked like she was paying more attention to the thick old tome she had brought out, though she was listening intently to the conversation. She had shown them the book, and by the looks Bobby was giving her, she was assuming even that simple act, had been revealing too much. So, she was keeping her mouth shut. Keeping true to her Dad's old orders. Like hell was she going to tell them she knew what was in that cemetery. If her father found out she had blabbed to a _Winchester_ he'd probably shoot her himself.

Bobby was growing visibly impatient with Corinne refusing to look at him, turning to the boys asked, "Unless what?"

"What if Colt wasn't trying to keep the demons out?" Dean said slowly. "What if he was trying to keep something in?" The group of Hunters seemed to stand still. Bobby had returned to glowering at Corinne. '_I don't know where your daddy's at girl, but if he ever found out Dean knew your name…'_ Bobby even didn't want to think about that. Stephen was a very intimidating and large man, and Bobby liked Dean intact.

"Now that's a comforting thought." Ellen muttered, rubbing her bicep, trying to get a stiffness out. Bobby let out a short laugh, her sarcastic comment coinciding with his inner thoughts.

"Yeah, you think?" Dean scoffed at her, leaning back in the desk chair. The squeaking sound muffled by Sam speaking.

"Could they do it Bobby? Could they get inside?" Sam asked, eyes on Bobby. Ellen and Dean turned to look at him as well. Cori was still reading the book. Now mumbling under her breath, her eyes skimming over the tiny words crammed on the pages in front of her. Bobby moved his gaze away from Cori, ceasing his glare. Looking over to Sam, he shrugged a little, just as inquiring as they were.

Cori spoke up, answering the question Sam had posed to Bobby. "This thing's so powerful, you'd practically need a nuke to destroy it. No way a full-blood demon gets across." She looked up from the book over at Sam, who had a hard look on his face.

"No." He paused and looked over at Dean, and then to Bobby. He was moving his shoulders in a way that looked like he was getting ready for a fight. "But I know who could." Cori's eyebrows shot up.

* * *

The moon was high in the sky, and the air was still as the group of five Hunters took their positions in the graveyard. Having realized when they got there, they were a bit early. This Jake guy Sam had talked about hadn't shown up yet. But soon enough it was show time. Dean heard the tell-tale squeak of the old iron gate at the entrance being used. He pressed himself tighter against the large tombstone he was using for cover. Gun held at the ready. His eyes darted over to the place Cori was hiding. He couldn't see her, but knew she was there. Bobby and Ellen were crouched behind tombstones, Sam was somewhere nearby. Dean wasn't sure where he was. Waiting as silently as they could, they watched as Jake started making his way towards a crypt at the far back. It was the largest in the cemetery, and was more ornate than the smaller ones.

Jake was still wearing the same US army fatigues he had been wearing the night he had stabbed Sam. He was feet from his goal when Sam walked out of the shadows he had been standing in. "Howdy, Jake." From her spot hiding behind a large stone spire Cori had narrowed her eyes at the tone in Sam's voice. She couldn't see his face, but she did _not_ like the way he was speaking. It had sent a shiver down her spine. Glancing at the others she noticed them moving forwards, raising the sawed off in her hands, she fell in line with them to come up behind Jake.

He had turned around slowly at the greeting, eyes wide recognizing the voice. He was trying to hide his growing apprehension as he watched the four others come out of hiding. Seeming to him, to just appear out of the many shadows the old cemetery provided. An older man, and woman. A pretty woman that looked maybe a few years older than he was, with a man who he assumed was Sam's brother Dean. "You were dead. I killed you." Jake was tense as he stated the victory looking back at Sam.

Sam had scoffed, the pistol in his hands aimed right for Jakes head. "Yeah, well next time, finish the job." He narrowed his eyes cockily.

But Jake was insistent, "I did!" He all but shouted at Sam. "I cut clean through your spinal cord, man!" Sam glanced quickly over at Dean, who lowered his gaze for a second look at the dead grass by his feet. Before Sams eyes flicked back up at Jake. "You can't be alive. You can't be." Bobby, Ellen and Cori had shared a quick look.

Bobby moved forwards - his gun held steady - and was closing in on the dark skinned man. "Okay, just take it real easy there, son." This was getting close to territory they didn't have time to deal with right now. Sam could _not_ know what had really happened that night. At least not like this.

Jake looked over at the older man, his demeanor had changed at his insistence that Sam had died. His eyes glinted dangerously at Bobby. "And if I don't?"

Sam's eyes narrowed just a fraction, the grip on the pistol getting tighter. "Wait and see." It was plain to see just how much Sam wanted to put a bullet in his guy.

Jake gave Sam what looked like a smirk, but it just came out ugly. "What, you a tough guy all of the sudden?" He taunted Sam. "What are you gonna do-" He nodded his head, motioning to the gun in Sams grip. "kill me?" He scoffed.

"It's a thought," was Sam's curt reply. The other Hunters were keeping their eyes and ears open for any newcomers to the party.

Letting out a short laugh, giving Sam a cocky grin. "You had your chance. You couldn't." The way he said it made it sound insulting, the way Sam had tried to spare his life. Like he thought Sam was weak.

"I won't make that mistake twice." Same pulled the hammer back on his pistol, fully prepared to end this douchebag's life. He deserved it. Finger itching on the trigger when Jake started laughing. The sound sent a shiver through Cori.

Dean shifted in his spot, grounding his stance just a bit more. His index finger moved gently back and forth, caressing the strip of metal that would assist in ending a life. "What are you smiling at you little bitch?"

Jake turned his head slowly to look over at Ellen, arrogant expression on his face. Dark brown eyes flashing a milky silver for just a second. "Hey lady, do me a favor. Put that gun to your head."

Ellens eyes had grown wider at the request. "Ha, yeah right kid." Surely he didn't think she was actually going to do it, he was completely outnumbered. They had the upper hand. So she could scarcely believe her eyes when her arm began to move. She tried fighting the hand that held the gun, but she couldn't control her own body anymore. The only sign, being the trembling of her gunarm. Shakily her arm moved, until the barrel of her pistol was resting against her temple. At that point all of Ellen was shaking along with the arm holding the gun. Cori, Bobby and Dean hadn't moved from their spots, or lowered their aim, but they were definitely shocked at what they were seeing.

"You see, that Ava girl was right." Jake started, pleased with himself. "Once you give in to it, there's all sorts of new Jedi mind tricks you can learn." The inflections he used in certain words, making it clear he was just playing with them. There were _much_ worse things he could do.

"Let her go," Sam almost pleaded, inwardly fearful for the older woman he had come to regard as a close friend. She was so far the closest mother figure, either he or Dean had.

Ellen was trembling. Jaw stuck shut, she hadn't taken her eyes off of Jake. "Shoot. Him." She said through clenched teeth. She was trying as hard as she could to move her arm. Jake was smiling, cool, calm and a bit amused.

"You'll be mopping up skull before you get a shot off." He paused and turned to the four other Hunters who still had their weapons pointed at him. "Everybody, guns down." They all glanced at each other, as if confirming their compliance. "Except you sweetheart." Jake smirked at Ellen.

Bobby was first, he put his pistol in the back of his pants, Dean followed, slowly crouching down and placing his on the grass. Cori grudgingly lowered the shotgun in her hands. The black look on her face conveying her urge to fill him with buck shot. But she put it down on the ground just the same. Sam was last. He held his pistol and hands up in defeat, putting the handgun in his pants as well.

"Okay good, thank you." Jake sounded a tiny bit surprised that they had complied so easily. The moment was over quickly. A snarl formed on his face in a split second, and he spun around quickly sprinting the few steps towards the crypt. He had pulled the Colt out of a pocket as he went. Cori had gasped loudly when she caught sight of it in his hands. This was about to get so much worse…

The crypt itself was a beautiful thing. Heavy stone, grey with age. Thick square pillars were on either side of the door. The weathered door looked like it was made of iron. It stood out, very different from the stone that made up the rest of the crypt. Intricately carved in the very center of the iron, was a star inside a circle. That star had a second circle carved on top of it the lines just below the tips of the star. A small round hole -the acting keyhole- looked just big enough for the barrel of a gun. Altogether making up quite an elegant looking pentagram. This iron looked brand new, and glinted in the moonlight, waiting for its key.

Jake quickly made it to the monstrous iron door, and shoved the Colt as fast as he could into the small hole in the very middle of the iron pentagram. He turned the key. His mind singular, it was done, he had reached his goal. He could go home to his family now. That's what Yellow Eyes had said. Oblivious or uncaring -probably the latter- about what was happening behind him. Cori looked like she might have a panic-attack.

Dean and Bobby had rushed forwards grabbing at Ellen, Bobby threw his arms around her body and pulled her back, while Dean went for her arm and the gun. Knocking her arm away just in time, as the gun went off. The shot echoing into the night.

Three other shots fired. Sam had rapidly drawn the pistol from his jeans, and shot Jake in the back. Sam walked forwards slowly, around the fallen body of the dark-skinned soldier. Jake had fallen backwards to the ground. He was laying on his back panting, coughing up blood as Sam circled to stand in front, but over him. A cruel look distorting his features, he raised the gun he was holding tightly, aiming it right between Jake's wide eyes.

Gasping and starting to choke on blood, Jake was shaking with shock on the ground. "Please… don't. Please," he pleaded with the tall man who stood above him. A vengeful and darkly pleased look was on Sam's face as he pulled the trigger four more times. Emptying the clip into Jake's chest. Blood splattered on Sam's face, it didn't even phase him. The large door behind him was creaking.

Bobby and Ellen walked past Sam towards the door. Ellen's gaze was locked ahead of her as if she was pretending she didn't witness Sams actions, and Bobby was staring at him, expression hard. Dean had come over with the other two and walked over to stand with Sam. He looked down at the body on the ground and then back to his younger brother an astonished look on his face. His eyes were wider than normal, the slight creases visible in his forehead when he raised both his eyebrows. A silent '_what the hell?'_ in Dean's eyes as he looked at his brother. Sam just wiped the blood off his face with his hand.

Cori had rushed forwards with Dean and Bobby, to stop Ellen from shooting herself in the head, but they had reached the woman before she had. She had changed her course, and was moving towards Jake, raising her sawed off as she turned. She had taken a single step in his direction just as Jake pushed the barrel of the Colt in the lock. The _ca-chunk_ of the gun sliding into place, forever seared into her memory. "Oh shit... Oh no, no, fuck, bad-bad-bad…" She had frozen in place, eyes wide, shotgun held loosely at her side. She knew exactly what was coming now. What this door was.

Then, she watched Sam kill the other man brutally, and without remorse too. Shock plain on her face. The murder hadn't surprised her - well, it had a little - it was Sams body language and face that had given her pause. She had been expecting someone to kill Jake. Sam though, he almost seemed _proud_. She gave him only a few seconds thought, before her feet found their way again. Rushing towards and then past Sam, Dean and then flew past Bobby and Ellen in her progress to the door. Her feet were not carrying her fast enough! "No, no no no no…" She was growling to herself, a frantically worried look on her face. She came skidding to a stop at the door to the Crypt. The two engravings were spinning in opposite directions, making a heavy whirring sound. But just as Cori reached her hand out to grab the gun, to turn it back, lock the door... a single action that could have saved them all.

The spinning stopped.

"Oh no…" Bobby mumbled watching Cori fail to lock the door in time. She had taken the gun just the same, and handing it the Dean. Ellen had turned her head to look at him, her arms hugging around her middle. Still a bit shaken up from the body control stunt that kid pulled earlier.

"Bobby, what is it?" She asked, moving closer to his side. Bobby's eyes were fearful and Ellen was damn sure she did not like that look on him.

Cori pulled the Colt out of the Crypt lock sadly. Her movements defeated but fast. Green eyes glistening with unshed tears as she looked down at the gun in her hands. Eyes trailing over the inscription that had been carved into it so many years ago. '_Non timebo mala…'_ She thought to herself. She caressed the barrel reverently before handing the Colt over to Dean without another word about it. The entire interaction lasted seconds. The tears Dean had noticed, had dried and were gone. He had given her an odd look, watching the way she handled the Colt, before she handed it to him. Now he just nodded, fingers tightly holding the gun.

Standing before the group of Hunters, gears clunking behind her. Each thunk more foreboding than the last. With a seemingly newfound strength Cori spoke quickly, knowing time was of the essence, they had seconds before it opened. But her overwhelming need to be dramatic won out. She finally -after hours of refusal- locked eyes with Bobby. "It's Hell."

Bobby inhaled through his nose sharply, his eyes wide. "Take cover - now!" The man had yelled with vigor, grabbing Ellen by the jacket and hauling her with him as he found a large tombstone and launched them both behind it. Sam and Dean had done the same thing, and were huddled behind stones of their own. They were in the same row as Bobby and Ellen. Cori had barely made it to shelter before the thick iron doors creaked and moaned, grinding with years upon years of being closed. Giving the impression they were going to open slowly.

Suddenly they slammed open with an inhuman scream that seemed to echo through the cemetery. The resulting shock wave was visible as it crackled in the air. It was going to be felt for miles around. Powerfully blowing over decaying tombstones. The trees in the area groaned as they too were moved with the force. A large black mass erupted from the open gate, like it had been waiting pressed up against the doors. It looked singular and yet made up of many forms at the same time. For less than half a second they/it swirled around just inside the opening before rushing outwards like a flood, and up into the sky. The group of Hunters watched wistfully from behind their cover, at the demons escaping. They could hear the loud snaps and screeches as the thick iron tracks of the railway lines were broken with enormous force.

The wind had picked up speed, buffeting them and everything else around them. It was hard to hear herself think. Cori sank further into the tombstone she was using as a shield. Brown hair whipping every which way around her. Brown eyes downcast, defeated. She was once again refusing to meet Bobby's eyes. Though now, his looks had gone from angry to concerned. Her shoulders hunched just a little more, trying to make herself smaller, which drew Sam and Ellen's quick glances before they resumed looking around them for immediate threats. Dean had unconsciously moved just the tiniest bit closer to her when he noticed that instead of being pissed off or scared like the rest of them, she looked like she was going to break down in tears.

Cori could think of nothing else but what was being released upon the world. She had been here, she could have stopped it. _Should_ have. If only she had moved just a _little_ faster… Cori was holding her face in her hands, taking deep breaths trying to calm herself.

Her family would be so disappointed in her.


	4. Septum Mala

**I don't own Supernatural or any of the fun stuff. Their world, I just get to play with it.**

**Brownies and squishes go to Glittergrrrl05, the bestest beta ever. **

* * *

Chapter 3: Septum Mala

Thick, noxious smoke black as sin was continuing to pour out from the open crypt doors. Individual trails of the smoke tore from the larger whole, soaring off it a multitude of directions. The wind shrieked, whipping around everything in its path. Not strong enough to move anything substantial, but it would be hard to walk in without clinging to anchors. Lightning flashed intermittently. Shadowy figures had started walking through the door, paying no mind to the wind or anything else around them. The demons' untamed excitement was palpable in the air. Which obviously didn't bode well for... well, anything. The group of five Hunters were huddled behind a row of tombstones. They had taken cover just before the blast that resulted from the powerful lock opening. The iron doors stood wide, revealing where the Demon smoke was still escaping from.

A circular gaping wound in the surface of the earth. Going down -literally- straight to Hell. Tall flames lapped at the roughly hewn stone edges. The fire flickered menacingly, casting shadows on the interior of the Crypt. Dean, with his back pushed hard against the tombstone he was using for cover, tried his best to yell over the wind.

"What the hell just happened?!" He was squinting his eyes, like they all were, hoping not to be blinded by the dust kick-up around them. He had leaned to look around Sam at Ellen while she answered.

"That's a Devil's Gate! A damn door to Hell!" Ellen yelled back in his direction, trying to keep hair out of her mouth as she did. Cori was shivering slightly, though not from cold. With all this wind, it should have been freezing but the temperature had risen if anything. The Devil's Gate was giving off an immense heat. She was trying to rein herself in enough to be useful, knowing what they had to do now. Making herself ready to move, Cori looked at Sam and Dean, then to Bobby and Ellen.

"Come on! We gotta shut the gate!" Cori yelled to them. She had stood up as quick as she could, ignoring the sudden headrush. Vaulting over the tombstone she was hiding behind and sprinted right towards the open Devil's Gate. Running against the wind, Bobby, Ellen and Sam were behind her, dodging tendrils of demon smoke as they followed the younger woman. The second her hands had touched stone, the high winds began to die down. The four Hunters started pushing the doors as hard as they could, a slight creaking budge the only indication it was working. Something was making them a lot heavier than they looked. The lovely still, and calm weather from earlier, long gone. No rain yet, but thunder boomed loudly, giant cracks of lightning lit up the night around them with each flash.

Dean had stood from his hiding spot when the rest of the others did. But after taking two steps forwards a different thought crossed his mind. He raised the Colt that Cori had handed him, intending to check it for bullets. "If the demon gave this to Jake... then maybe…" He wasn't paying attention to the translucent figures appearing and walking out of the Gate into the world. As he was checking the gun, he could feel the tell-tale prickle on the back of his neck. He whipped around and raising the Colt, aimed for the head of whatever was behind him.

Yellow Eyes stood there, a triumphant smirk on the host bodies' face. He twitched his hand and the Colt flew with alarming speed out of Deans grip, into the demon's waiting hand. Dean looked positively shocked at the quick action.

The Demon tilted his head slightly. "Boys shouldn't play with daddy's guns." Admonishing Dean. It moved its head -again, just the tiniest bit- watching smugly as it threw Dean through the air. Its yellow eyes following his body's trajectory. Hadn't even needed to lift a finger. Dean crash landed into a tombstone a few yards away, his head mostly breaking his fall. A trickle of blood began to run from above his hairline and down the middle of his face. He was awake; the force hadn't knocked him out, but he was dazed.

The four Hunters at the Gate were trying their best to make the door budge. All of them struggling with the heavy iron. Ellen and Bobby grunting with the force they were exerting trying to get the doors closed again. So many had already come through, and so quickly. Cori was struggling just the same as they were. The great iron doors, moving only fractions of an inch even with their combined strength.

Sam had turned around, using his back to press against the door. His eyes searched for Dean, curious why he hadn't joined in, to help them close the Gate. Looking over he didn't see his brother immediately, then caught sight of him laying on the ground, feet from where he used to be standing. Dean was downed by the hit to his head. He was clutching it with one hand, groaning. Sam's eyes searching for the cause, landing on the yellow eyed demon. His heart stopped for a moment when Yellow Eyes smiled cruelly at him. Sam's eyes flicked back to his brother, "Dean!" he let go of the stone door and took off running towards his older brother. Cori groaned through her teeth, now pushing one side alone. The Hunters struggling even harder without Sam's help.

Sam was running towards his brother, but with a small flick of the wrist, Yellow Eyes sent Sam sailing through the air, his body slamming hard against a nearby tree. "I'll get to you in a minute, champ. But I'm proud of you - knew you had it in you." Yellow Eyes sounded extremely pleased with himself. He looked over at Sam with a fond smile. Dean was struggling to stand up as slowly the demon turned around and faced him. Moved its hand again, and Dean was thrown against a tall stone spire. Dean hit the stone loudly with his back, making an 'oof' of pain as he slid down to the ground, his legs giving out. "Sit a spell..." Yellow Eyes drawled, walking forwards. Coming closer to where Dean had fallen until it crouched down just in front of the blonde Hunter. "So, Dean…" He scooted forwards just a bit more. "I gotta thank you. You see, demons can't resurrect people unless a deal is made." He shrugged his shoulders a little. "I know, I know. Red tape - it'll make you go nuts. But thanks to you," He patted Dean on the chest. "Sammy's back in rotation." The demon laughed. "Now, I wasn't counting on that, but I'm glad. I liked him better than Jake anyhow." The smile on his face widening. "Now, tell me - have you ever heard the expression, 'If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is?' " He smirked down at Dean who was laying on the cold ground, still nursing his injured head.

Dean scoffed at the demon, glaring at him with disdain. The knock to his head had rattled him. He looked tired; probably had a decent concussion. "You call that deal good?"

The demon lifted his shoulder in a half-shrug. "Well, it's a better deal than your dad ever got." He chuckled darkly. "And you never wondered why? I'm surprised at you. I mean…" The demon edged even closer to Dean, who found he was powerless to move now. The yellow eyes of the demon bore down on him as they were now face-to-face, close enough that Dean wasn't sure Sam could hear what they were talking about. "You saw what your brother did to Jake, right? That was pretty cold, wasn't it?" The demon snickered, leaning down closer to Dean's face. "How certain are you that what you brought back is one hundred percent, pure, Sam?" He leaned backwards laughing darkly.

Dean's eyes had moved from the Demon in front of him and had focused over its shoulder, on Sam still pinned to the tree. Sam was struggling against the hold on him, trying desperately to get to his brother. Sam looked horrified. Like what was going on, this situation, was the worst thing that had ever happened to him. His brother was in trouble, and he was able to do nothing to help him. Around them, in addition to the black demon smoke that was still pouring from the Gate, a new flood of transparent bodies was walking out. The spirits of the damned were walking free.

The demon was still laughing in Dean's face. "You of all people should know that what's dead should stay dead. Anyway…" He stood up from his crouched position beside Dean. "thanks a bunch. I knew I kept you alive for some reason." He gave Dean a wry smile. "Until now, anyway. I couldn't have done it without your pathetic self-loathing," it was backing away from Dean slowly, "self-destructive desire to sacrifice yourself for your family…" Yellow Eyes cocked the Colt, and raising its arm, aimed the gun at Dean's head.

Dean's eyes were locked on the demon holding a gun to him, but in his peripheral he watched one of the opaque shadow figures walk towards it. Dean tried hard not to betray his shock as, when the milky shadow cleared and became more defined it morphed into the familiar visage of John Winchester, his dad. John in his ghostly form reached forwards quickly and grabbed the yellow-eyed demon from behind. The body it had been possessing fell to the ground lifeless, with the Colt, still in hand.

Having been forcefully evicted from the body it was possessing, the demon had reverted into a cloud of dense black smoke like the others. John was wrestling with the smoke, in the process becoming more and more corporeal as he fought to restrain it, and walk it back towards the open Gate. Ellen, Bobby and Cori were still trying to close it, using all the strength they had. During the small battle between John and the demon, it pushed him to the ground roughly. John fell behind a tombstone.

The demon took possession of the fallen body once more, the acrid smoke funneling and forcing its way into the mouth of the host. Yellow Eyes stood back up, a cocky grin on his face. It shattered when he realized his hand was empty. Turning around to face the Hunter he had intended to shoot, Yellow Eyes looked suddenly terrified. Dean sat leaning heavily against the stone he had been pinned against. His hazel eyes were dark, cold, and hard with purpose. Mouth set in a firm line. His gaze bore into the face of the demon, whose own expression had contorted into one of intense fear. Dean narrowed his eyes just a fraction, lips twitched upwards, self-confident. He held the Colt pointed right at the demon and pulled the trigger. The bullet traveled quickly, slicing through the air, hitting Yellow Eyes straight in the heart.

Shocked, the demon had barely a second to look down at the wound, eyes darting to Dean's face, before the body started convulsing slightly and a flame orange skeleton shone through the host's skin. Lighting him up from within. The same glow flared brightly out of his eyes and mouth. The bones inside flickered once, twice more before the yellow-eyed demon, the bane of the Winchester family, fell to the ground, dead. Finally.

Sam, free from the demon's hold, dropped from the tree he had been pinned against. Bobby, Ellen and Cori had just about pushed the gates closed. Cori was gritting her teeth, pushing with all her might. Bobby and Ellen had one side of the great stone door, and she was pushing the other one all by herself. Her feet having dug deep grooves into the dirt, keeping her in place. If anyone had been watching, it was truly an incredible sight, a true feat of strength. But no one was paying her any attention at all. With the last inch to go, the door quickly slammed shut with a loud metallic screech. The carvings spinning around and around, winding the lock back up and finishing with a loud thunk.

It was closed. They had closed the Gate. Cori was breathing out a sigh of relief, bent over with her hands on her knees, huffing. Slightly out of breath from the physical exertion. She missed Bobby's and Ellen's shocked faces when they had turned around, their eyes searching for the boys, to see John Winchester smiling, his hand firmly on his eldest son's shoulder. A mighty proud look on his face. Both men were beginning to get teary eyed. Both not quite sure what they were seeing was real. Sam approached them slowly. A hesitant look on his face, but still so hopeful. John looked over at his youngest son, gave him a smile and they nodded at each other. With another glance at Dean, John let go of the shoulder he had been gripping and started to step back slowly.

Cori had looked up, curious as to why everyone was so quiet, and her eyes caught sight of him. It must have looked like her eyes were going to pop out, they had widened so far. 'I can't fucking believe it…' Her mouth fell open in shock, and she felt like the air had been sucked from her. She stood dumbly watching the interaction between the Winchesters. The pride and happiness that John felt for his sons was clear on his face. He gave both boys one last look. His dark brown eyes glancing for just a second over Dean's shoulder to look at her, his eyes widening in surprise before he vanished into a bright light that softly faded out of existence. Cori stood in place, completely stunned; the elder Hunters had matching expressions of shock. Sam and Dean just looked at each other, small smiles on their faces, tears running down their cheeks. Neither of them had missed the last look their dad had on his face nor where he had been looking.

Her.

Together, the brothers walked towards the body the demon had been possessing. The gunshot wound in the chest was still smoking, trailing off into the sky. The peaceful weather had returned. The night air was calm, all of the little nocturnal creatures had come out of hiding, feeling safe again. As the brothers had a conversation between themselves, Cori was standing near Bobby and Ellen. Bobby's arm had slung around Ellen's shoulders and he was holding her to his side tightly. They both had semi-content expressions on their faces. It was making Cori feel slightly out of place, but happy. 'Good for you, old man…' She had unconsciously taken a few steps back, away from the couple, distancing herself once more. Together the three of them watched as Dean crouched down, Sam standing beside him. Looked the demon's host body in the eyes and loud enough for them all to hear said, "That was for our mom. You son of a bitch."

* * *

Bobby and Ellen walked behind Cori, dragging their feet. Moving slowly, heads bent together in hushed conversation. She was trying to give the couple some space, as she had a feeling this was the first time they had shown each other affection in front of anyone else. Sam and Dean were walking ahead of Cori, talking freely. She caught bits and pieces of the conversation going on in front of her.

"Glad he was wrong," Dean retorted to whatever Sam had said. Sam stopped walking, letting Cori get closer, her shotgun hanging tiredly at her side.

"What happened? After I was stabbed?" Sam demanded looking at his brother. His eyes narrowed at Dean.

"I already told you," the shorter man replied, exasperated.

"Not everything," the tall one growled. They walked up to the black Impala and both turned to lean against it side by side. Dean crossed his arms. Not liking this conversation one bit.

"Sam, come on man! We just killed the demon. Can we celebrate for a minute?" He complained. Cori, who was partially lost in her own thoughts, eyes on her feet, nearly walked into the trunk of the Impala.

"Oh! Dude!" She backed up a step. "Sorry, sweetie," she apologized, patting the trunk lovingly. Not noticing the odd looks the two men gave her and then shared. "Wasn't watching where I was walking." She looked up from the trunk to her audience. "Oh, uh - hey…" and gave them a tiny smile and a wave, embarrassed. But it was apparent she was not in the smiling mood right now. Sam could relate to that perfectly. Remembering suddenly that she had been there in Cold Oak, he posed her the question.

"Did I die?" He asked her point blank, hoping to leave her no time to come up with a lie.

Dean grumbled beside him. "Oh, come on…" Cori's eyes widened just a fraction at Sam's question. She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by Sam.

He was looking at Dean again. "Did you sell your soul for me like Dad did for you?" He asked, not beating around the bush anymore.

Dean got defensive immediately. "No!" He rejected the idea, "Come on! No!" Cori slung an arm around herself. She was pretty sure that she was intruding.

"Tell me the truth," Sam asked, his voice steady, but Cori could hear the tears he was holding back. Dean had looked away from Sam, towards the front of the car, and sniffled a little bit himself. Cori looked back at the ground and was slowly trying to move back, away from the boys. "Dean, tell me the truth." It wasn't normally like Sam to talk about things this personal in front of people he didn't really know. Bobby was family, Ellen - maybe. But this Corinne Folan chick? Sure, Sam heard the stories, knew she was a fantastic Hunter and Bobby considered her family. But was that good enough for him? Right now, it didn't seem to matter. Sam wanted answers.

Dean let out a humourless laugh. "Sam…" He choked out around the lump in his throat. Looking back over at his younger brother, his eyes shining with tears.

"How long do you get?" Sam asked, his voice cracking with emotion. The brothers had come closer to one another, seeming to draw support from the other. It made Cori begin a descent into memory, remembering her own younger brother.

"One year," Dean replied. Sam was slowly nodding his head trying his best to accept that. "I got one year…" The tears had begun to slowly fall from Dean's eyes.

"Dean… You shouldn't have done that. How could you do that?" Sam was shifting from one foot to the other. Nostrils flaring, clenching his fists.

"Don't get mad at me. Don't you do that. I had to… I had to look out for you. That's my job…" Dean almost pleaded, begged his brother to understand. While he still didn't quite fathom it himself.

"And what do you think my job is?" Sam asked incredulously, looking at Dean like he couldn't believe Dean didn't know.

"What?" Dean questioned, proving Sam correct. Sam looked at his older brother like Dean couldn't possibly be that stupid.

"You've saved my life over and over. I mean, you sacrifice everything for me. Don't you think I'd do the same for you? You're my big brother; there's nothing I wouldn't do for you." Sam smiled at Dean, a small smile, but it helped to lighten the mood considerably. "And I don't care what it takes, I'm gonna get you out of this." He let out a slightly amused 'heh'. "Guess I gotta save your ass for a change."

Cori didn't miss the glint in Dean's eye at Sam's vow. 'So, there's more…' Yet another thing she had taken note of for later inspection. She hefted the sawed-off in her hand over her shoulder and was looking back and forth between the boys during their talk.

Dean was nodding along with Sam, trying to look enthusiastic for his brother. "Yeah. Guess so." He looked over and caught Cori's eyes. Slightly surprised she was still standing there. He could see great fatigue in her, like she might fall over from exhaustion. He felt concern for her rise within him. But what had drawn his attention was her eyes. They didn't look sad, or even angry. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the way she was looking at him, but the one word he felt he could use to describe it, was one he was refusing to. They looked like his. The liquid amber-brown eyes, belying an emptiness inside. Her gaze was familiar, like a mirror. He looked away quickly, so did she.

Ellen and Bobby finally made their way over to the three younger Hunters. They had separated, Bobby's arm no longer tightly around Ellen's shoulders. "Well… Yellow-Eyed Demon might be dead. Good job on that, by the way." She gave the Winchester boys a smile. Dean felt himself swell with a little pride at her words.

Bobby took up the mantle. "But, a lot more came through that gate."

Dean was looking at Bobby, and then his eyes went around to look at everyone else present. His eyes catching on Cori again. She looked as confident as the day he had met her, but there was an air around her he just couldn't put his finger on it, and it was bugging him how close to sorrow it was. Plus there was the look in her eyes he had noticed before; it wasn't there now.

"Two, maybe three hundred," Cori said, looking over at Bobby when she answered. Her face morphed from calm to furious in seconds. "It's an army... That mother fucker unleashed an army!" The group looked at her as one, surprised by her sudden and loud outburst. Dean, who just happened to be closest to her, put a hand on her shoulder which made her jump in surprise. He was trying to fight the grin on his face. 'Nice. Bad-ass chick that jumps like a frightened kitten when I poke her…' He decided then that she was riding back in the Impala with him and Sam.

Bobby watched the two of them and started grumbling under his breath. His brows furrowed. Ellen smacked him in the arm and gave him a look. Sam's eyebrow rose in confusion at her actions. Bobby sighed and shifted on his feet. "I hope you three are ready. 'Cause the war has just begun."

Cori looked at Dean's hand on her shoulder, which he hadn't moved yet. She followed it to his face, searching his eyes for something. Bobby's words inspiring something within her. 'War… Awesome, my fingers are itchin'.' She thought - half sarcastic, half amused - to herself. Dean was returning her smile, which sent warm fuzzies throughout her. She was slightly upset she had missed his killing of the demon. She knew the story of Yellow Eyes and was beyond thrilled she had been somewhat present for the Winchesters vengeance on the demon.

Dean's smile was infectious it seemed, spreading to Sam as well. The tall young man smiled slowly, and then grinned as if finally realizing what they had accomplished. Dean's gaze flicked to Bobby's face. "We're ready…" Dean said. He looked down at Cori again, removing his hand. Yeah, she was definitely coming with them. 'I hope…' She could always turn him down, but he wasn't passing up any chances to hunt with a legend like her. That she was easy on the eyes absolutely helped his decision. Sam was easily feeling the same about working with her, and unbeknownst to his older brother, Sam was still eyeing Corinne up, himself. 'Once in a lifetime Sammy…' His thoughts prodded at him.

The three of them waved Bobby and Ellen off. Standing in front of the trunk of the Impala as the forest green Chevelle drove down the dirt road, tail lights quickly disappearing from view. "Well then…" Dean's smile morphing into a cocky smirk. They turned around to face the open trunk. Dean turned his head to the right to look at Sam, and then to his left to look at Cori. He grabbed the Colt from inside his jacket and tossed it into the false bottom. "...we got work to do." Dean slammed the trunk shut with an excited push.

* * *

One Week Later

Sam was sitting at the table in the kitchenette of a three star motel room, a large book open in front of him. Nicer digs than what they normally checked into. But this wasn't the room he was sharing with Dean. He looked around slowly, eyes catching on the bags Cori had thrown on the bed earlier. All of her stuff was in there. Clues to who she was, her hunts. Sam truly wanted to know more about her, but his conscience was too loud. So he had remained seated, continued to research and ignored the bags. Cori had left about ten minutes ago to go grab beer from the corner store nearby.

The noise from the room next door was beginning to grate on his nerves, but he was letting it slide as best he could. Next door was the motel room he and Dean had rented out. Dean was in there with a gorgeous looking woman he had picked up at the bar earlier that night. From the sounds coming through the thin walls, Sam knew Dean was having a great time.

"Woo hoo!" came through the wall, and Sam smiled affectionately at it. Feeling his brother deserved to have some fun. Dean was going to Hell in a year. But still, the noise… 'Why, why right next door Cori… Why?' He lamented her choice of rooms, looking back down at the book, trying to find something, anything that would help Dean. His phone started ringing. Glancing back up, he reached across the table to where he had set his cell down earlier.

"Hello?" He asked into the receiver after flipping the device open. "Hey, Bobby." He paused, "Oh, same old, the usual." Sam grimaced into the phone as he listened to Bobby on the other line. He sighed, suddenly exasperated. "Then where, Bobby?" He looked at the wall that separated the two motels rooms. "He's... busy…" Then at the clock on the microwave. "No, she actually-" The motel room door opened and Cori walked in, a six-pack in each hand. "- just came in with beer…" He paused again listening to the gruff voice on the other end. "Yeah, I'll let her know." Sam smiled at her, raising a hand in greeting.

"Fiesta time, Ginormo!" Cori said loudly. Brandishing the beer above her head, shutting the door to the room with her foot, a smirk on her face. She had the best story to tell Sam. He'd get a kick out of how lame this guy was. "So, the kid behind the counter cards me-" She started. He had been saying she looked way too young, then arrogantly tried to play it off as a compliment. It was the worst pickup, she'd ever had tried on her. She outright laughed at the man when he asked for her number. She'd thrown the money on the counter, grabbed her beer and walked out. Laughing loudly as the glass door closed behind her.

"Oops! Shit," She noticed that he was on the phone. Whispering, "Sorry man." she walked into the motel room proper, to the little kitchenette, she pulled cans of beer out for the two of them, shoving the rest in the fridge. She shrugged out of her coat, hung it on the back of a wooden chair, and sat down across from Sam. Cori slid a beer on the table in his direction. He caught it, still listening to Bobby talk to him on the phone. He had a notepad beside the book in front of him and had dropped his pen to catch the beer before it slid off the table. He was looking at her now, eyes sliding up her pale arms, the thick leather cuff bracelet she wore on her left wrist. She was wearing another t-shirt today. Simple black, but tight... His lips upturned, not being able to help it. He liked what he saw. Bobby was still talking in his ear, but half his mind was on her. He could see the glint of a silver chain around her neck but had never managed to catch sight of the pendant. It was a long chain apparently, and she kept it tucked into her shirt. Though he had noticed her clutching at it often enough the last week.

Cori opened her own can. It made a satisfying hiss and crack as it opened, and she took a long drink. She was halfway through swallowing when she heard sudden but very loud moaning coming from next door. Her eyes bugged, she snorted, hand flying over her mouth before she could spit beer all over Sam. Her shoulders were shaking in the laughter she was containing. Sam snapped his phone shut, his conversation over. Otherwise ignoring the sounds from the next room.

"Well Cori, looks like we're headin' out. That was Bobby, says he found something." Sam opened his beer, taking a healthy swig. She nodded at him, managing to swallow her mouthful of beer. They had just finished up a case earlier today, a run-of-the-mill vengeful spirit, and had taken the night off. Mostly because Dean had insisted. "He wanted me to tell you that your car has been stored and is waiting for you to - and I quote - 'change your damn, fool-ass mind' about riding with Dean and me." He grinned at her, the idea still funny to him. She was wiping her face with a takeout napkin. Chinese from today's dinner.

"Awesome, good to know She's safe." She loved her 'Cuda, it was all she had left of her Dad since he vanished. "And the next time I talk to the grumpy bastard, I'll tell him to bite me. You two are a fuck-ton more fun to hunt with." Cori grinned back at him, crumpled up the paper napkin, moving it to the side. If there was one thing to be said about Corinne Folan, she definitely liked her swear words. "So…" She screwed up her face. "If we're heading out..." Not enjoying where her mind was taking her. "I am not telling Dean it's time to go. I have no desire to see that. Nuh-uh." More like, she didn't want to see him with that bimbo from the bar. Cori wasn't about to judge, not being the most virginal thing herself, but like hell she wanted to see that. Not yet anyways... She had plans for that, and it most definitely did not involve another woman.

Sam made a puppy face at her. She raised an eyebrow at him and sipped her beer. Leaning back in her chair, making a show of getting comfortable. "Nice try, but that'll never work. Didn't when my-" She stopped herself. "He's not my brother, you can face his ass. Literally." She snickered at him.

"Aww c'mon… I hate doing this..." Sam made a disgusted face at the pretty woman across the table. He'd had to do this so many times already in his life. Though he noticed she was going to say something other than what she actually had. He'd ask about it later. She was confusing him mostly. She had shown interest in both him and Dean, and if she was jealous about what Dean was doing she was hiding it well. Sam might even go so far as to say she approved of it. But so far, every time during the last week Cori had been with them, Dean had brought four different girls back to his and Sam's motel room. It was a wonder Sam was even going back there to sleep. She had offered up her room to Sam when he was kicked out of his. But it turned out they were just hanging out, instead of acting out the thoughts running through his head. Which he was kinda grateful for. He didn't have the best track record with sleeping partners. She was fun to hang around with though. Each time they had heard any of the sounds coming from next door, she was nearly killing herself laughing, or making crude jokes that made Sam blink in surprise at her.

"Fine, you get this time and next time, I'll get him to stop his deviant ways." Her mouth slowly forming into a grin, approving of the idea that suddenly flashed through her mind. The smile was a little creepy. Cori was a good-looking girl to be sure. Pale, but lightly tanned skin, silky chestnut brown hair, molten amber-brown eyes, and a body built for sin. Plus she was a full foot shorter than he was. But damn if she wasn't frightening sometimes.

"Done." They reached across the table and shook hands. He took another look at the leather cuff she wore around her wrist. He had noticed it earlier and had meant to ask about the bit of tattoo he had seen. Another thing for later.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later found the three young Hunters on the road again. The engine of the Impala rumbling smoothly. Dean was driving at increasing speeds down an empty back road. A large grin on his face, eyes on the asphalt. Bouncing his hand back and forth on the wheel, to the song currently on the radio. Cori was sprawled out in the backseat, singing along to the music. She had seemed to catch Dean's happy mood, and when Cori was in a good mood everyone around her felt it. She was naturally an energetic person. The three beers she had slammed back before they left certainly helped.

Sam, however, looked grim, like he might be sick. "Dean, pass me your knife." He turned his head to face Dean, asking his brother. Dean looked over his him confused, suddenly very curious.

"Uh, what for?"

"So I can gouge my eyes out," Sam replied blandly. Cori started laughing in the back.

"It's a beautiful, natural act, Sam," Dean defended, a huge shit-eating grin on his face. His fingers thumping on the steering wheel. Cori shifted positions and was now lying with her back on the seat, her boots were twitching to the music in the back window. Dean, checking his rear mirror, watched her shapely jean-clad legs move as she bounced to the music.

"It's a part of you I never wanted to see, Dean." Sam shuddered, grossed out all over again just thinking about it. It wouldn't get out of his head, he needed to unsee it, something. Sam shifted around in his seat to get a better look at Cori. "It's your turn next time Cori, you agreed."

"And upon my honor, I shall uphold my end." She started snickering to herself. "Ha, my honor..." She grinned at Sam, head upside down, her hair was brushing the floor of the Impala. Then her brown eyes flicked over to what she could see of Dean's face in the rearview mirror. "I have plans for you, my pretty," she mock-cackled, rubbing her hands together.

Dean was appreciative of her joining in with his jovial mood. He reached over and slapped his brother on the thigh. "So, thanks for giving me some quality time with the Doublemint Twins," Dean said with a cocky grin. Cori scrunched up her nose and made a face at the back of his head, sticking out her tongue, then concentrated on Sam.

"Yeah, no problem Dean…" Sam replied quietly.

Which surprised Dean completely. "Really? Well, I gotta say, I was expecting a weary sigh or an eye roll. Something." He chuckled. Glancing back at Cori again, who was still looking at them both from upside down. She gave him a salute. He shook his head with a small smile, turning back to face the road. 'God, she's weird, I wonder what-' Dean stopped that train of thought the instant it got going. He might be going to Hell, but like fuck was Dean gonna mess around with a chick Bobby pretty much considered his daughter. Looking was one thing, flirting was all well and good, but acting on it… He didn't want to take the expressway downstairs.

Sam shrugged, leaning back in his seat. "No, not at all. You deserve to have a little fun." Though his tone conveyed just how much he was against his brother going to Hell at all.

"I am in violent agreement with you there, Sammy," Dean chuckled. Switching mindsets he asked, "So what's Bobby got?" He heard Cori sliding around in the back, righting herself on the leather interior and scooting forwards to listen. She was curious, too. Sam hadn't said anything about it earlier.

"Not much. A crop failure and a cicada swarm outside of Lincoln, Nebraska." Sam looked down at the notes he had taken earlier. "Could be demonic omens -"

"Or could just be a bad crop and a bug problem." Dean cut him off.

"True, but so far it's our only lead," Cori threw in from the backseat.

"Any freaky deaths?" Dean glanced at the mirror back at Cori, then he turned his head to look at Sam.

Sam was shaking his head. "Nothing Bobby could find - not yet, anyway."

Deans eyes flicking from Sam and then back to the road as they talked. "It's weird, man. I mean, the night the Devil's Gate opened, all these weirdo storm clouds were sighted over how many cities?"

"Seventeen." Cori supplied from the back. Dean nodded.

"Seventeen. You'd think it would be all 'Apocalypse Now' out there, but it's been a week, and nada." Dean sounded almost like he was disappointed. Sam raised an eyebrow, looking confused. Cori however knew exactly what Dean was talking about, having been wondering the same thing. "What are these demons waiting for?" He asked.

Sam lifted a shoulder, "Beats me." He had some idea, thinking back to what Yellow Eyes had told him, but wasn't planning on volunteering that information. Ever, if possible. No one needed to know.

"It's driving me crazy. I tell you, if it's gonna be war, I wish it would just start waiting is crap," Dean said forcefully, wanting to get it going, to take out some assholes before he kicked it.

Shaking his head Sam said, "I dunno man, be careful what you wish for."

Cori sat back in the seat, her eyes moving back and forth between the two boys. Mind going a million miles a second. Yes, she agreed, war was coming. But she concluded that still had no bearing on just what the hell she felt around these boys. It wasn't an actual emotion, more like a sense, like touch or taste. She had started hunting with them, much to Bobby's chagrin, hoping it would help her figure out this feeling (she didn't quite have another word for it) that had run through her when she had met Dean. It was a shock, like Deja Vu - almost - like some sort of recognition. At first she had chalked it up to having known all about them before they had met. Her Dad's journals had a lot about the boys and their family. She'd never wondered before why there was so much written and in such detail. Now, it was starting to freak her out a bit. Never really believing in destiny or fate, but this was just getting plain odd.

* * *

The next morning they arrived at a farmhouse just outside of Lincoln. Pulling up behind Bobby's car in the dirt driveway. The three of them piled out of the black Impala. Dean was munching on a burger, making satisfied noises. It was starting to gross Sam out. Cori was sensibly drinking a rather large coffee. They had stopped to get breakfast, Dean insisting on a burger, and Cori - Sam had learned - was not a pleasant person before she had a coffee in the morning. There was no wind, it was humid, still and stagnant. Only the sound of cicadas buzzing filled the air. Sam had commented on them, and they all agreed it was a bad sign. Dean took another bite from his burger as they walked towards Bobby, who was leaning against the trunk on his own car waiting for them.

"So, we're eating bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast, are we?" Bobby asked Dean after he had greeted them. He gave Dean a disdainful look. The younger man taking a large bite of his burger. Cori had downed the last off her takeaway coffee and stuck the empty cup by the rear tire of the Impala. She'd grab it later.

"Well, I sold my soul," Dean said around a mouthful of food. "Got a year to live. I ain't sweatin' the cholesterol." Cori was having a hard time not snickering. Dean was such an ass, and she thought he was hilarious. Bobby shot her a look too. Sam tried to come to the rescue of the now awkward situation.

"So, Bobby, what do you think? We got a biblical plague here or what?" Sam asked as they all started moving slowly towards the farmhouse to their left. Dean finishing his food.

"Well, let's find out," Bobby said as their group of four climbed the wooden porch steps. "Looks like the swarm's ground zero."

Dean making it to the door first pounded his fist on it loudly. No way someone hadn't heard that. Nor the "Candygram!" that he shouted afterwards. No answer. Waiting a few seconds longer before Dean crouched down, hands in his jacket reaching for his lockpicks. Sam was looking around, making sure they weren't being watched, gun drawn and held tight. Bobby and Cori had drawn handguns of their own, holding them at the ready.

The lock opened with a click and Dean pushed the door open after standing back up. He drew his gun as well. Walking cautiously into the house the Hunters paused momentarily, coughing and gagging at the sudden foul stench that struck them. "Fuck, that's awful," Cori said with a disgusted look on her features.

"Definitely not a good sign…" Sam replied. Bobby turned and walked around a corner to start checking the rest of the house. Cori went through a different doorway, weapon held firmly. Dean and Sam continued on down the main hallway, checking each doorway they passed. They stopped when they both heard panicked screams coming from the unchecked room to their right. Sam kicked the door down and the brothers entered quickly, guns at the ready.

The screams were coming from a television set that sat in a corner across the room. Facing that, backs to Sam and Dean, was a large couch where a family of three sat. Mother, father, son. They got closer to the family. They hadn't moved or spoke. They just sat there, and the smell was getting worse. Quickly becoming apparent that they were all dead. Several days dead technically. Sam and Dean both grimaced and recoiled at the sight. Arms over their mouths from the horrific smell, guns still held high just in case. "Oh, my god…" Sam mumbled through his coat sleeve. Dean looked like he was beginning to regret that burger.

Bobby entered the room through an archway across from the boys. He looked absolutely repulsed at the sight before him. Cori wasn't far behind him, and she flinched back in horror. "Holy hell..." Raising her arm as well, covering her nose and mouth.

Sam and Dean had looked over at the archway when they heard the movement coming down the hall, poised in case it wasn't Bobby or Cori. They both relaxed when the other two Hunters came into the room. "Bobby, what the hell happened here?"

The gruff older man was shaking his head. "I don't know…" he said, shrugging a shoulder.

"Check for sulfur," Cori reminded them all, and they began searching the living room for any sign of the substance. Dean was looking over by a window when he noticed movement outside. He let out a short, low whistle, freezing the other three in their places. They looked over at him in unison. Using hand signals, he motioned what he had seen, and what they were gonna do about it. Getting nods from them he cautiously walked down the hallway to the front door and slipped outside to check it out, gun drawn. Bobby, Sam and Cori going different directions, circling around to the front of the house, where Dean went. She had gone out a side door from the kitchen.

Hearing a scuffle and someone fall to the porch, Cori started moving faster towards the front of the house. Bobby ahead of her, he stopped short as he rounded the corner, and she almost ran into his back. "Isaac? Tamara?" Bobby said in surprise. Cori stepped around him to see the two new people. Faintly recognizing them, remembering she had met them once before. She raised both her eyebrows, just as surprised as Bobby was.

The dark-skinned woman looked Bobby over, shock evident on her face. "Bobby? What the hell are you doing here?" She looked over at Cori a smile forming.

"I could ask the same." Bobby smiled at Tamara. These were old friends of his. Really old friends. Isaac held his hand out for the gruff Hunter.

"Heya Bobby, long time." They two men shook hands. Dean groaned from his spot on the porch, still dazed from the smash to the face that Isaac had given him with the butt of a shotgun. Or maybe it was the boot to the stomach.

"Hello… Bleeding here…" Dean waved his arm pathetically up to the group of four standing around him. Cori helped him up and grabbed his gun for him.

"Up we go, sugar." She reached down and helped haul the man to his feet. She was smiling at him but it was tight, almost forced. It was then he could see the difference in her. The wall she had put up now that Isaac and Tamara were here. She looked more formidable than usual. Dean, though, was trying to school his face, thoroughly enjoying every time she touched him.

* * *

Their group had grown. For the moment at least. They had holed up at Isaac and Tamara's place for the night. It was a regular looking home on the outside, but inside, the place was covered floor to ceiling in shelves. All the furniture had been mostly moved to make up for more shelving and weapon racks. These two were serious Hunters and collectors of supernatural objects. Their store of herbs and items used for exorcisms and fighting evil was impressive. Though no one beat Bobby in books.

Dean was on the phone in another room talking to what was obviously a woman. The dark-skinned couple was bantering back and forth in the way that married couples do. The husband was looking for something and the wife found it for him in the most obvious of places. Sam was curious about the item they were looking for, having not ever heard about it himself.

"Palo Santo?" He questioned Tamara, wanting to know more.

"It's holy wood, from Peru. Toxic to demons like holy water. Keeps the bastards nailed down while you're exorcising them." She was digging around into a canvas bag and pulled a large, sharp stake out. Handing it to Isaac, Tamara gave him an affectionate smile when he thanked her. "You'd lose your head if it wasn't for me." She touched her husband's arm and then turned back to Sam.

"So, how long have you been married?" Sam asked, slightly smug as he could obviously tell they had been together for a long time.

"It was eight years June of last year," Tamara said with a fond smile. Isaac kissed his wife on the top of the head.

"The family that slays together," 'he said offhand, eyes only for his wife at that moment.

Nodding in agreement Sam smiled, happy for the two Hunters. It was hard to find a spouse in their line of work. "Right. I'm with you there." He chuckled, motioning his head to Dean in the other room. "He's my older brother. So, how'd you get started?" He looked back and forth between the dark-skinned couple as the awkward silence reigned. "I, uh, shit... I'm sorry. It's not - that's none of my business…" He apologized rubbing the back of his neck. Feeling incredibly dumb.

Cori had walked over and put her hand on Sam's forearm, giving him a small smile. Trying to let him know that even though he was awkward, she was here for him. With her entrance into the conversation, Tamara started looking Cori up and down again. Isaac was definitely looking like he'd seen her before, just couldn't remember where. "So, Cori, I swear I've heard the name before?" She half asked.

"Yeah, Tam's right. You look awfully familiar. We ever met before?" He was squinting at her hard, trying to figure out this new mystery. "Got a last name?"

Dean chose that moment to walk back into the main room, to finish up on the phone, saving Cori from answering. "Well, Jenny, if you look as pretty as you sound, I'd love to have an 'appletini'." He grimaced, looking over at Sam and Cori, making a face that earned him their amused looks. "Yeah, call you." He snapped the phone shut, rolling his eyes. Cori was giving him a very exaggerated smile and held both thumbs up. Sam was snickering beside her. Dean liked to see his little brother happy, and he thought Cori had a fantastic smile. "So, that was the coroner's tech."

"And?..." Sam prompted.

"And get this - that whole family, cause of death? Dehydration and starvation." He told the room of Hunters. "There's no signs of restraint, no violence, no struggle. Nothing. They just sat down and never got up." He felt as confused as they all looked.

Bobby looked shocked. "But, there was a fully stocked kitchen just yards away."

Sam looked over at Bobby, "Right? What is this, a demon attack?" He asked the room incredulously. None of them really had a good answer.

"If it is, it's not like anything I ever saw, and I've seen plenty in my time," Bobby replied. Cori, was silent as usual, taking in the people around her. Listening to them talk. She had nothing to add anyways. She looked at Dean when he started talking, ready to do this thing.

"Well, what now? What should we do?" Dean was looking at Bobby, thinking he might have some idea, but it was Isaac that answered.

"Uh, we're not gonna do anything." He scoffed in the direction of the younger Hunters and Bobby. Sam looked confused, not quite understanding what he meant.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, across the room from Isaac, the tension started to slowly grow.

Isaac looked at him condescendingly. "You kids seem nice enough, but, this ain't Scooby-Doo, and we don't play well with others." Even his tone had a snarky, arrogant edge to it that wasn't there before. His wife was giving him a stern look.

Sam was having none of that, "Well, I think we'd cover a lot more ground if we all worked together," he said. It was true, they would, but Bobby was not liking where the conversation was headed and his face spoke volumes on it.

Then the heart of the problem came out. "No offense, but we're not teaming up with the damn fools who let the Devil's Gate get opened in the first place," Isaac nearly sneered at them, speaking for both him and his wife it seemed. Tamara put a hand on his arm, but it was obvious she wasn't going to disagree with him.

Dean shifted on his feet, looking none too happy at the words. "No offense?" He looked at Isaac like he should retract what he said.

"Isaac, like you've never made a mistake before." Tamara tried the sooth her high-strung husband.

He scoffed, "Oh yeah, yeah." He nodded his head at her. "Locked my keys in the car, turned my laundry pink." He looked Dean in the eye. "Never brought on the end of the world, though."

Dean's eyes narrowed at the other man's words. He chuckled darkly. "All right. That's enough..." Cori turned her head side to side, cracking her neck from her spot beside Sam. She was not impressed with the way Isaac was looking down his nose at her. Her right eye twitched a fraction. 'Oh, you mother fu- come on, tell me more, I will rip your face off...' She shifted her weight from one hip to the other, her nostrils flared a little. This was getting a bit too personal for her tastes.

Sam glanced over at her and then at Dean, shaking his head slowly. "Guys, come on… This isn't helping. Dean, Cori…" He sighed wearily. She hadn't moved from her spot, just crossed her arms.

"Look, there are a couple hundred more demons out there now. We don't know where they are, when they'll strike. There ain't enough Hunters in the world to handle something like this. You brought war down on us - on all of us." Isaac's face still had not lost its patronizing gaze. Dean took a step forwards, mouth set in a firm line. Sam could have sworn he heard Cori growl from his left.

Tamara started to physically pull her husband away. "Okay, that's quite enough dear." She continued pulling until she had successfully dragged him out of the room. Cori watched them go, still tense. Dean looked how she felt, and he decided not to comment on the fact that Cori's right hand had been reaching for the Beretta at the back of her jeans.

Cori shook her head, muttering under her breath. She turned to the men. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm sleeping in a car tonight. If I stay under this roof, we may be down a fellow Hunter by morning." She grabbed her duffle bag roughly from the floor and moved quickly towards the front door. Dean was close behind her, Sam sighing walked after them muttering to himself.

Bobby was following behind Sam. Bobby was pissed as well, but for a different reason. Isaac and Tamara had been his friends before this. To be this stupid, and then to outright insult his family... They all knew the mistake they had let happen. But goddamn you didn't have to air it out like that… He could see the way Cori had been beating herself up about it, a lot harsher than the boys had been on themselves. The Gate getting opened meant more to her than just demons getting out.

The four Hunters slept in their vehicles that night. Not one of them ever having noticed the figure that was watching them from the shadows.

* * *

The next morning they had found out -via police scanner- that there had been another abnormal death. The group of four Hunters went to see what they could dig up. Cori was… somewhere. Sam and Dean had gone to the retail store where the incident had taken place just outside of. Sam was admonishing Dean for flirting with a female shopper instead of working when Bobby walked towards them, halting their conversation. His dark hair slicked back, and he was dressed in a sharp black suit and tie. He had just returned from what he was doing while the boys were here. Dean whistled at him. Both he and Sam looked impressed, this was a new sight to them. Not ever thinking about how well Bobby was able to clean up.

"Looking spiffy, Bobby. What were you, a G-man?" Dean asked looking over the suit. He grinned at the man.

"Attorney for the DA's Office. I just spoke to the suspect." Bobby replied.

"Yeah? So, what do you think? Possessed, or what?" Sam asked Bobby, so far the lot of them didn't have a single clue to go on.

"Don't think so, there's none of the usual signs. No blackouts, loss of control. Totally lucid. Just, really wanted those shoes…" He shrugged at the two young men, equally as mystified about womenfolk as they were. "Spilled a glass of holy water on her, just to be sure; nothing." Leave it to Bobby Singer to sound slightly disappointed.

"So, just some random whackjob then?" Dean looked between the two of them.

Bobby shrugged. "If this had been an isolated incident, maybe... But first that family, now this?" He paused, letting out a small sigh. "I believe in a lot of things. Coincidence ain't one of them. Did you boys find anything around here?"

Sam shook his head in the negative. "No, no sulfur, nothing."

Dean continued the line of thought. "Well, maybe something." He had a smug look on his face and nodded his head at the security camera in the ceiling. "See Sammy, I'm working." But something had been nagging in the back of his mind, when it clicked. "Uh, hey, where's short-and-scary?" He held his hand up to the height just shy of his shoulder. Bobby may not believe in coincidence, but he was still surprised when his phone buzzed from his pocket before he could answer Dean.

"Hello?" He answered the phone gruffly, not recognizing the number, and then his lips upturned in a tiny smile. "Yeah we'll be right there." Snapping the phone shut he gave the Winchester boys a good-natured smirk. "Cori's in the security room." Dean looked up at the camera that was watching the store and winked at it.

* * *

The three men found their way into the back of the store with no problem. Cori was seated in an office chair, legs out, spinning in circles. She was waiting for her companions to arrive. Then the door to the security room opened and the Hunters filed in. Sam was grinning at her. She was such a contradiction. Going from pissed off, serious and scary one moment, to childish and elated the next. Stopping the chair suddenly when she had noticed them enter and shut the door behind them. "Woooo…" She mumbled to herself holding a hand to her head, slightly dizzy now.

Blinking away her vertigo she gave them a bright smile. "Hey gents, I've got something, look at this." She spun around in the leather swivel chair and pulled herself closer to the desk. Bringing up the feed from that morning.

"So, uh, how'd you get back here?" Sam looked down at her. "You're kinda in street clothes."

She just grinned at him and didn't answer the question. "See the redhead?" She pointed out the man on the screen. He had just walked into the store. They followed his movements on the camera.

"Could be our guy." Sam had little reason to doubt otherwise. Cori looked over her shoulders at Sam, then Dean.

Dean was still looking skeptical. Then they all watched the redheaded guy talk to the blonde woman - the suspect - and then walk away. Dean nodding slowly to himself, watching the interaction between the two people on the footage. "So, let's find him." Dean gave Cori a half smile, putting his hand on her shoulder from his standing position to her right. She winked at him. Bobby rolled his eyes.

* * *

Bobby, Dean and Cori were sitting in Bobby's Chevelle, staking out the bar in front of them. She was sipping on a nearly empty takeaway coffee in the backseat on the driver's side behind Bobby, who yawned. "What time is it?" he asked. Dean looked at his watch and then back over to the older man.

"Seven past midnight." He tried to hide a yawn of his own.

"Are you sure this is the right place, Dean?" Cori asked, leaning forwards. He turned his head right partially to look at her, she was resting her elbows on the console between he and Bobby.

"Nope." He gave her a small smile. "But I spent all day canvassing this stupid town with this guy's stupid face." He pulled a print off from the security camera off the dash. "And supposedly, he drinks at this," he gestured to the bar in front of them, "stupid bar. While you poked around the stupid library." He shot Cori a look over his left shoulder, it was almost a pout. She grinned at him and opened her mouth to retort when - BANG!

Sam had been sneaking up on them. He thudded his fist on the roof of the Chevelle. Making the Hunters inside jump and turn towards the sound. Sam opened the door, abruptly shoved Dean's seat forwards making him grunt, and slid into the back seat beside Cori. A large smile on his face as he chuckled.

"That was not funny!" Dean grumbled at his brother. Cori had a small smile on her face.

"Yeah, it was." Sam grinned. "Uh, alright, so-" He made himself comfortable in the back seat, shifting around on the leather. With Cori in the middle, their thighs were touching just ever so slightly. "So, John Doe's name is Walter Rosen. He's from Oak Park, just west of Chicago. Went missing about a week ago." He gave the occupants in the car a knowing look.

"The night the Devil's Gate opened," Dean stated. Knowing the answer already, not needing to ask. "So, you think he's possessed?"

"Well, it's a good bet. So, what, he just walks up to someone, touches them, and they go stark raving psycho?" Sam asked skeptically with a small huff of a laugh.

Bobby looked a bit shaken at the idea. "Those demons that got out at the gate - they're gonna do all kinds of things we haven't seen…" He locked eyes with Cori in the rearview mirror.

"You mean, the demons we let out," Sam muttered, suddenly grumpy.

"Sam, we did our best man, honestly. And now we're doing our best to put shit right." Cori shoulder-checked him from her spot to his left. Didn't really phase him much, she was so much smaller than he was, and she hadn't been trying too hard, but it made him smile at her at least. Even if it didn't reach his eyes. Dean had sat up in his seat, seeing something across the parking lot.

"Guys."

The four Hunters watched as the redheaded man they had been waiting for pulled up to the bar. Their eyes still on him as he got out of his car and started walking towards the bar. Cori had a grin on her face that was sending shivers down Sam's spine.

"Alrightie, showtime boys…" She said with a hint of a smile. Dean looked ready to get out of the car as well. Bobby put his arm across Dean's chest stopping him from moving.

"Wait a minute."

"What?" Dean looked confused. Sam was still watching the bar. Cori was paying attention to Bobby and Dean, stuck in the back of the two-door, she wasn't going anywhere until someone up front did.

"What did I just say?" Bobby looked at the two of them like they were possibly idiots. "We don't know what to expect out of this guy. We should tail him 'til we know for sure."

An idea Dean clearly didn't like. "Oh, so he kills someone and we just sit here with our dicks in our hands?" He asked the man to his left heatedly. Cori was amused at the vulgarity, any other time she would have taken that statement and run with it.

"We're no good dead! And we're not gonna make a move until we know what the score is," Bobby said firmly, and that was going to be the end of it. Until Sam opened his mouth.

"Hey uh, Bobby? I don't think that's an option."

"Why not?" He nearly growled at Sam. Frustrated that the younger one was being a moron too. Sam nodded his head towards the windshield. Indicating the second car that had pulled up to the bar. A familiar car. Bobby started swearing profusely as they watched Isaac and Tamara get out of their vehicle and go into the bar.

Cori muttered from her place in the back, still slightly touching legs with Sam, "Dumbasses…"

* * *

The two older men had jumped out of the car, drawn their weapons and booked it for the door of the bar. Finding it locked and not having the time, Bobby and Dean had started shoulder-checking the door. Sam was running over to join in when they heard Tamara start screaming from inside. Cori hadn't exited the car like the rest of them, and when she saw that they were failing in breaking the door down, she had hopped over the center console of the car and slid into the driver's seat. "Hey! Get your asses in here!" She bellowed out the driver's side window. Revving the engine, hoping they understood her plan.

They clearly had when the three men quickly piled into Bobby's car. Arming themselves with holy water, as Cori revved the engine again. A smirk on her face, she shifted into reverse, stomped down on the gas pedal and in a screech of tires she slammed the rear end of the car through the front doors of the bar. Sending the double doors crashing to the ground. Cori remained behind the wheel as the other three jumped out, holy water at the ready. Sending it flying into the pack of demons they had driven into.

The demons all recoiled as it hit them, hissing and screaming loudly. Sam made his way to Tamara, using up his bottles of holy water. He grabbed Tamara as fast as he could and pulled her back towards the car. "Come on!" She was still screaming frantically for Isaac, who lay face down on the floor, blood pouring from his mouth and pooling on the floor. He was dead. A large plastic bottle of industrial drain cleaner empty beside him. "We gotta go! He's dead!" Sam started to drag her to the back seat of the car, the door still open and waiting for them. "Get in the car! Come on!" Sam was looking around for his brother, Bobby had already climbed into the backseat with him and Tamara. She was still screaming for her husband. "Dean, come on!" Sam yelled. Cori had begun revving the engine again.

Sam finally caught sight of Dean. He had run to the trunk of Bobby's car and popped it open, looking around for more holy water and finding none. The redheaded demon laughed. Punches were thrown. Now they were wrestling, "DEAN! Come on!" Sam yelled again, then Dean managed to push the demon into the open trunk. Cori had drawn a Devil's Trap on the underside of Bobby's trunk lid earlier. The demon screamed, noticing it as Dean slammed the trunk shut on the demon and threw himself into the front seat of Bobby's car.

"Go! Go, go, go, go, go, go!" He yelled. Expecting to see the grizzled old man driving their getaway, and instead got Cori's smirking face. Brown eyes bright with amusement. She looked like she was having the time of her life. She gave him a wink and then with a squeal of rubber on concrete that kicked up dust and debris from the doors, she drove them out of there as fast as Bobby's Chevelle could take them.

* * *

Cori drove them back to Tamara and Isaac's place. The consensus being that was their best bet. They boys had tied the demon to a chair under a devil's trap painted on the ceiling. Now, the next room over from the -incapacitated but listening- demon, Tamara was freaking out loudly. Emotions were running rampant all around.

"And I say we're going back! Now!" She yelled at the group of Hunters in her house. Sam grabbed her arm as she turned to walk out the door.

"Just hold on a second!" His own voice slightly raised. Wrenching her arm from Sam's grip, she yelled back in his face.

"I left my husband bloody on the floor!" She was hysterical. Cori could really feel for the older woman. Losing a loved one, and in the way Tamara had lost Isaac… No one should ever have to watch that like she had been forced to. But this woman was being remarkably stupid, and was letting her emotions rule her.

"Okay, I understand - but we can't go back," Sam said quieter, trying to keep back the edge in his voice. The dark-skinned woman bared her teeth at him.

"Fine. Then you stay. But I'm heading back to that bar." Decision made, her face set in her choice. She started moving towards the door again. Dean started moving with her.

"I'll go with her," he said, falling into step beside Tamara. At least this way someone would have her back, and he considered himself pretty much expendable anyways.

"It's suicide, Dean!" Sam called after his brother, suddenly very worried, and angry at the idea.

Dean rounded on Sam, eyes flashing. Seems he was in the mood for yelling too. "So what? I'm dead already!"

Trying a different tactic, and a logical one at that, Sam tried again. "How you gonna kill 'em? Can't shoot 'em, we're out of bullets for the Colt. You can't stab 'em." His voice was calm as if he was asking a serious question. "They're not just gonna wait in line to get exorcised!" He finished having raised his voice to yell at them both loudly, trying to get his point across.

"I don't fucking care!" Tamara screamed back at Sam.

"We don't even know how many of them there are!" He retorted, letting his anger show evidently on his face and in his eyes.

Cori walked into the room. She was holding a book, eyes still skimming over the pages in front of her. "Shit, yeah… yeah, we do…" She looked up from the book to the rest of the Hunters in the room. The way her voice shook just a bit, gave both Dean and Sam pause. "There's seven." She closed the book the a heavy thud. "Do you have any idea who we're up against?" Dean was very uncomfortable with how Cori looked and how she was speaking. There was that sorrow again - he hadn't quite found time to talk to her about that yet - hiding behind a strange new melding of fear and anger he had never seen on her before. It was unnerving him. He was shaking his head though.

"No, who?" He asked casually.

Bobby was the one that answered. "The Seven Deadly sins! Live and in the flesh!" He shouted. Dean looked shocked for all of a second before cracking a grin Cori's way.

"'What's in the box?!' " Dean snickered to himself at the joke he made. But at the silence that met him he looked at the others. "Brad Pitt? Se7en? No?" He looked put out, before noticing Cori giving him a tiny smile. She got the joke, that was something at least. She tossed the book at him. "What's this?" He asked, catching it with a loud thump to the chest.

"Binsfeld's Classification of Demons," she replied.

"In 1589, Binsfeld ID'd the seven sins - not just as human vices, but as actual Demons." Bobby was looking at Dean, Sam and Tamara trying his very best to impress upon them the kind of shitstorm they had stumbled into. Sam was seeming to get the idea, Bobby always knew he was the smarter of the two boys.

"That family… They were touched by Sloth. And the shopper…" Sam said slowly, figuring it out.

"That's Envy's doing - the guy we got in the next room." He nodded his head indicating the doorway to the room. "We couldn't suss it out at first…" he moved his head in Cori's direction. He looked over at Tamara, his tone getting a tiny bit softer, "until Isaac. He was touched with an awful Gluttony." He knew she didn't want to hear it, Isaac's body was still cooling. But info was info.

And like predicted, she flipped out. "I don't give a rats ass if they're the Three Stooges or The Four Tops!" She screamed at him furiously.

Bobby walked towards her slowly and as he got closer and closer he spoke. "We already did it your way. You burst in there half-cocked and look what happened!" Bobby raised his voice just a little bit. "These demons haven't been topside in half a millennium!" Sam and Dean shared a look, never really having seen Bobby like this before. Except once with their Dad. "We're talking medieval here, Dark Ages! We've never faced anything close to this!" Bobby was right up in Tamara's face now. He spoke evenly and calmly like he had never raised his voice at all. "So we are gonna take a breath…" He took a big one as if to demonstrate what to do, "And figure out what our next move is!" He shouted in her face, hoping to get the damn point across. They stared at each other heatedly. The younger Hunters shared looks of slight surprise and awe. Bobby was surely a force not to be trifled with, and he didn't get angry easily like the rest of them. He was a surly man in general, but when it happened... It was explosive, shocking and more often than not, entirely called for.

He spoke quietly to Tamara, trying to convey his sincere emotions. "I am sorry for your loss." She narrowed her eyes at him and stomped out of the room. Bobby stepped back and away from her, and went into the other room where they were holding the demon. Cori let out the lungful of air she had been holding in. The brothers shrugged at each other.

The younger Hunters followed Bobby into the other room. The red-haired man they had tied to a chair was chuckling.

"So you know who I am, huh?" He grinned as the group circled the chair he was tied to. His eyes flashed the deep abyssal black of a demon.

Bobby crossed his arms across his chest. "We do. We're not impressed," he replied blandly. Looking for all the world like he could really care less about the demon in the chair. It got no response from the demon. It just sat there and looked them all over. Tamara rejoined them and stood beside Cori.

"Why are you here? What are you after?" Sam questioned, force in his voice.

Dean moved from his place beside Sam and stood between Cori and Tamara. As he moved across the room he looked at the demon. "He asked you a question. What do you want?" The demon started chuckling again, this time the sound was a lot more condescending than before. Dean's eyes narrowed slightly, and he pulled a flask of holy water from his leather jacket. Unscrewing the top, and in a quick motion splashed the red-haired man with it. The demon hissed and shouted in pain. The skin on the host body was sizzling. Steam rose from its flesh.

"Ahh! Ungh… we already have…" The demon started to pant around the pain from the holy water. "what we want…" He looked up from his hunched over position, eyes normal - human looking - and grinned at the Hunters.

"What's that?" Dean demanded.

Envy had a cruel smile on his face. Cocky even through the bout of pain. "We're out. We're free." He laughed and looked at the group of hunters, but his eyes rested on Cori. "Thanks to you, my kind are everywhere." He grinned again, letting his eyes roam up and down her body crudely. She stood there, firm under his gaze, trying her very best not to show that he was starting to get to her. Both in his words, and his perusal of her figure. "I am legion, for we are many." He laughed louder than he had before, his eyes flashing black again. "So me, I'm just celebrating. Having a little fun." He sneered focusing back on Dean.

"Fun?" Sam asked slowly, face not betraying how horrified he was at the idea.

"Yeah. Fun. See, some people crochet. Others, golf. Me?" The grin still large, "I like to see people's insides…" He leaned forwards as much as he could in the chair he was tied too. Sniffing the air in front of Tamara. "on their outside." He finished with a small chuckle.

"I'm gonna put you down like a dog." The dark-skinned woman growled, having moved forwards a step.

The demon grinned at her again, chortling under his breath. "You really think you're better than me," he stated, still laughing. Then his face changed into a snarl. "Which one of you can cast the first stone, huh?" His eyes flicked over at Dean, "What about you, Dean? You're practically a walking billboard of gluttony and lust." Dean nodded his head, shrugging a shoulder a bit. Not denying, it was true. The demon turned to face the dark-skinned woman, she had fire in her eyes. "And Tamara… All that wrath. Oohhhh…"He breathed deep in her direction, savoring the smell. His tongue made a clicking noise. "Tsk, tsk tsk. It's the reason you and Isaac became hunters in the first place, isn't it?" He asked her breathily, enjoying the anger growing on her face. "It's so much easier to… drink in the rage than to face what really happened all those years ago." He taunted her. Enjoying how easy it was to rile this woman up. Tamara moved forwards quickly, her face twisted in anger, and smacked him hard on both cheeks. Dean and Bobby pulled her back from the demon that was flinching in pain.

"Whew! Ha!" Envy gave a short laugh and grinned over at her. "My point exactly. And you call us sins. We're not sins, man." He looked over at Sam and Dean. "We are natural human instinct. And you can repress us, and deny us allllll you want." He drew out the word happily. "But the truth is, you are still just animals," he stated simply like they were schoolchildren. He looked at each Hunter in turn to time with his words. "Horny...greedy...hungry...violent, animals." He grinned at Cori. "And you know what? You'll be slaughtered like animals too." He paused, as if shocked at something, then the grin began to form again. His eyes flashed black. "The others - they're coming for me."

Dean grinned. "Maybe. But they're not gonna find you. 'Cause you'll be in Hell." he said cockily. Which apparently Envy had not been expecting him to say, as he looked taken aback. Dean turned away from the demon. "Someone send this clown packing." Cori, Sam and Bobby all turned as well, intending to leave the room. Leaving Tamara standing in front of the red-haired man a book open in her hands. A slow smile creeping up her face.

"My pleasure…" The satisfaction evident in her voice. "Exorcizamus te, Omnis immundus…" She continued to exorcise Envy from her dining room.

The other four left her to her work. The demon started screeching in pain.


	5. Bad Day

Thanks be to Glittergrrrl05, the most awesome beta. Love you! :D

I own nothing, Supernatural belongs to it's writers, I just play in the world they gave us.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Bad Day**

The Winchester brothers, Bobby, and Cori had moved back into the other room of the house, giving Tamara the space to send Envy back to Hell. Bobby had his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his vest. He sighed, "Well, I don't think we're gonna have to worry about huntin' them." Moonlight streamed softly from the window nearby. Dozens of candles littered the room, lighting it with a pleasant glow.

Sam tilted his head slightly, "What does that mean?"

"It means that maybe the dickbag next door is right," Cori supplied. "They're gonna be hunting us. Look at what they consider fun. And they're probably not gonna quit easily either." She was twisting her hair back into a ponytail at the back of her head. Shorter bits falling loose framing her face. Bobby was nodding at her words agreeing, he had the same assessment.

Dean cut in, "Alright, you guys take Tamara and head for the hills. I'll stay back, slow them down. Buy you a little time." He was shifting on his feet like he was itching for a fight. Cori snorted, and he shot her a look and she smirked back at him.

"Oh, my Hero," She drawled at him sarcastically, then chuckled.

"You're insane Dean. Just forget about it, okay?" Sam was shaking his head at his stupid brother. Sam wasn't letting Dean out of his sight, not until they got that Soul deal of his figured out.

"Sam's right." Bobby threw his two cents in.

"There's six of them. We're outmanned, we're outgunned." Sam pleaded with them to see reason. "We'll be dead by dawn," he tried, looking over at Cori, his brother, and then Bobby.

"Heh -dead by dawn- sounds like an album name," Cori muttered amusedly under her breath, a small smile still plastered on her face. How she was smiling right now was a question that was bugging the hell out of Sam.

"Maybe, but… there's no place to run that they won't find us," Bobby said, trying in turn to get Dean to see his reasoning. Sam leaned against a sturdy wooden shelf.

"Look, if we're going down, we go down together. Alright?" Sam's eyes were glued to his brothers face. He was dead serious about this.

Seeming to surrender to their wishes, Dean started nodding. "Well, let's not make it easy for 'em." The house shook for a second as a loud infernal screech came from the other room. There was a great gust of wind and all the candles lighting up the room were extinguished. Tamara walked back into the room looking pleased with herself.

"Demon's out of the guy." She stated blandly. Though pride shone on her face.

"And the guy?" Cori asked slowly, eyes following Tamara around the room.

"He didn't make it." Was the cold reply. Cori's eyebrows raised a fraction. Sam and Dean's faces mirrored hers. Tamara left the room.

* * *

Later that night, the three young Hunters sat quietly in the living room, each on their own side of the room. The candles had been relit, and the room flickered with soft shadows once more. Dean was loading a shotgun, two more - already loaded - lay to his right. Sam was filling up flasks of holy water from a large jug. Cori was sitting comfortably in an old armchair. She had just recently flopped down, having gone around the house pouring the salt lines. She started checking the clip of her Baretta. Her eyes flicking up, she caught the brothers looking at each other. She smiled to herself, mind once again thinking about a time long gone. Nearly lost in her thoughts, but not too far gone that she didn't fail to notice when an old beat up radio across the room flickered and flared to life. It scratched and crackled as it began spouting out a rendition of 'We Shall Not be Moved'.

Dean cocked the shotgun he had finished loading, getting up from his spot by the wall. "Here we go." He grunted, holding the gun at the ready. Sam had stood from his place, grabbing a gun from Dean's pile. Cori had as well, sticking the handgun she was playing with earlier in the back of her jeans. Together the three of them moved towards the windows. They had been boarded up, only an inch or two between to see through. Cori was humming quietly along with the song, but stopped as soon as they heard yelling from outside.

"Tamara! Baby! Let me in!"

Cori turned to Dean her eyes wide. "Shit…" she muttered. They had both recognized the voice, Sam had apparently as well.

"Is that-"

"Yeah…" Dean replied.

They heard someone come up the porch steps, still yelling Tamara's name, taunting her, trying to get her to come outside. Saying things - things that the demon knew would bring her to him. There was banging on the front door.

"Baby! Why won't you let me in? You left me behind back there," Isaac's voice said through the door. Tamara was standing on the other side, the Palo Santo clutched firmly in her hands. She was shaking. Bobby was trying to comfort and calm her, rein her in. "How could you do that? We swore... At that lake in Michigan. Remember!?" Isaac was all but yelling through the door. Tamara had turned her head to lock eyes with Bobby, tears starting to form in her own.

"How-how did he know that?" She sobbed, pressing herself against the door. The dead body of her husband banging on the other side of it.

"We swore we would never leave each other!"

Bobby was holding onto Tamara's shoulders now, "Steady, Tam, steady…" She was tensing under his hands. "Steady. You know that's not him."

Tamara was shaking, and trying her very best to hold back sobs.

"You just gonna leave me out here? Just gonna let me die?! I guess that's what you do, dear!" The voice was yelling outside the door. But gone was the cry for help in his voice, gone was the pain, the act. "Like that night those things came to our house… came… for our daughter!" The demon was taunting her now, Bobby could almost hear the smile on its face. "You just let her die, too."

Tamara wrenched herself free from Bobby's grip, "You son of a bitch!" She screeched, throwing open the front door.

"Tamara, no!" Bobby yelled after her. But the damage was done. The salt line Cori had so carefully laid down earlier was broken.

Tamara tackled the demon using Isaac's body, and together the two of them fell down the porch stairs. She had landed on top of him and managed to plunge the Palo Santo stake into his chest where his heart was. It had the same effect as the holy water, it sizzled and the demon screamed. Six demons immediately crossed the broken salt line into the house.

A very large - both in height and in weight - balding man started ambling towards Bobby, the first Hunter available from the front door. The host Sloth was possessing smelled strongly of liquor and something that could only be described as rotten. It had a confident smile on its face as Bobby backed away from it slowly as it advanced. The ugly smile getting wider, until it reached an invisible wall and could walk no further. He looked around confused, no idea why he couldn't continue moving. Then Sloth looked up and saw the spray-painted Devil's Trap on the ceiling above his head. It looked at Bobby with pleading eyes, making odd pathetic grunting noises. Bobby grinned behind his beard.

"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son." In no immediate danger, Bobby pulled a small book from his back pocket and began reading out the exorcism. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica…" The demon started screaming.

* * *

Elsewhere, Dean had been cornered by a pretty woman with pin-straight brown hair wearing a skimpy waitress uniform. Holy water was thrown, punches traded. He was backing himself down a hallway as the demon advanced on him, a wicked smile on her face. With another punch from her, the door to the bathroom Dean had attempted to use as a shield cracked, the delicate fist had punched right through the wood. The stunned expression on Dean's face was laughable as he continued to back into the bathroom. He was trying to play it cool.

"So, I suppose you're Lust," He said as nonchalantly as he could. The demon really picked a perfect body to possess… Then his mind veered to a different brunette he knew, and her curves.

"Baby, I'm whatever you want me to be…" She slowly sauntered forwards, licking her lips, black eyes figuratively eating him up.

"Yeah, all right, just, just stay back," he told her, trying to defend himself. Not that he was really trying all too hard. 'All part of the plan...' He thought to himself.

"Or what?" She asked him, tone making it obvious his question amused her. She was so close now, she reached out to touch him, he stepped back away from her fingers. The lips of the possessed waitress were painted blood red. He hoped to God it wasn't actual blood.

"Good point," Dean conceded. He continued to back further into the bathroom.

"I'm not gonna hurt you - not yet," she basically moaned at him. "Not unless you want me to." Her grin was slow and sent shivers down Dean's spine. Not the good kind, he was a little turned off if anything. She was trying way too hard. But then she touched him, running her hands over his chest, and then his shoulder and down his arm. Deans eyes glazed over and he fell into Lust's embrace. His lips crashed down on the blood red of hers passionately. Dean was continuing his backwards walk, further and further into the bathroom.

One of his arms, behind him reaching for something to grasp onto. Dean's fingers found only the shower curtain. 'Bingo…' he thought. His mouth still attached to Lust's, he flipped them around suddenly, and in one move pulled the curtains open, grabbed her by the back of the head, and shoved her face into the bathtub full of water. Holy water. She was screaming in agony, flailing her arms and legs as Dean held her under. Trapping her in the bathtub with the shower curtain. Dean sat on the edge of the tub, keeping the curtain in place, and began reading out the exorcism from the paper he pulled from his back pocket.

* * *

Cori had been watching Bobby's back as he performed the exorcism, sending Sloth back to Hell. When she felt the tingle on the back of her neck telling her that someone was behind her. Spinning around, raising a flask of holy water as she went, intending to splash it on whoever was behind her, demon or not. Her other hand gripped her Beretta tightly. Not that it would really do any good, it made her feel a bit more in control of their current situation. She was surprised to see a pair of twin girls standing there behind her. They were identical, pin straight long black hair, matching nightgowns. She figured they had to be maybe eighteen or nineteen years old. They were beautiful. Not celebrity beautiful, but the kind of beautiful that the Old Masters had painted. The beauty that was praised, glorified, killed for. They stood serenely holding hands, black eyes staring into her brown ones. She grinned at them. "Seriously, The Shining?" Cori nearly laughed. "Gonna have to do better than that." They had been slowly advancing on her. She threw the holy water she had at them, watching at they hissed and screeched in unison, before reverting back to their blank stare. Twin mouths pressed in firm lines, they seemed to glide across the floor towards Cori. The glint in their eyes was sending shivers down her spine.

She generally considered herself a well-read individual, but she was having a hard time figuring out just who these girls were. Not low-level demons, that was clear. But she was pretty sure the Seven sins were accounted for, having watched four of them go up the stairs following Sam and Dean. Bobby had Sloth taken care of, they had sent Envy packing earlier, and she was nearly positive Wrath was the one Tamara had taken out. That was all seven of them. The punches they were throwing at her definitely showed a great strength and speed. The 'not taunting' her thing was a bit odd. She was used to demons that snarked at her. It was almost expected, she was a little disappointed to be honest, she liked the taunting. Some of it was hilarious. Cori was having a hard time keeping up her defense, but she was sure trying. The teen girls twisted and turned, and moved as one, never letting go of the grip each had on the other's hand. Like they were stuck together or glued somehow. She was quite curious as to why they were doing that.

Cori was backing away and dodging as much as she could, keeping the twins away from Bobby, who was still busy reading, and trying to move them closer to a trap painted on the ceiling. One currently not holding a demon in it. It really had been excellent foresight of Tamara and Isaac to have these painted everywhere in their house. But with all her dodging, her human speed was no match for theirs. Taking two successive hits to the chest - one from each girl - she flew backwards, out of the room Bobby was still in, and crashed into a table in the adjoining one. From her position on her back, Cori looked up at the ceiling above her, blinking dazed. Inwardly crowing her delight at the large Devil's Trap they'd have to cross to get to her. She slowly sat up with a groan, bits of wood and paper falling off her. She watched the girls move towards her, their hands still clutched tightly. Their black gaze was jointly focused on her, on only her. Like nothing else mattered to them but her. Still having not said a single word.

With her mostly empty flask on the floor feet away, and the gun essentially useless, Cori, took a deep breath, a plan forming quickly in her head. The girls had stopped their forward movement, having noticed the trap overhead, but their eyes were still locked on her. Cori was seated on the floor in the debris of the broken table, the trap the only thing that separated her from the demon twins. She knew she had seconds before they acted. In one fluid motion, she unsheathed a small silver knife from her near ankle and threw it with all her might towards the clasped hands of the demons. The silver blade knocked their grasp loose, their hands slipping from each others. With a bestial screech, they lurched forwards just the slightest bit. With bated breath, Cori watched them. Screaming in agony, arms flailing like they were drowning until at last they had stumbled their way into the trap.

She let out a sigh of relief as the screaming stopped for a second. 'I honestly didn't think that would work...' She thought to herself, trying to get her breathing under control. The girls had rejoined their hands and had started screaming anew, realizing what had happened. That they had been trapped. These screams were different, angry. But still, no words came from either of them. With years of speaking fluent Latin, Cori flopped back down in the rubble tiredly, a hand on her forehead, and began reciting the exorcism she knew by heart. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio, infernalis adversarii…"

* * *

Sam was upstairs, making his stand in one of the bedrooms in the house. The door to the room he was in was kicked violently open, and Sam's eyes watched in amazement as the door flew from its hinges and clear across the room, crashing against the opposite wall. It shattered on impact. A young man, dressed in an exquisite-looking suit stepped through the doorway, gently fixing the hang of his suit jacket. The demon's manic grin spread wide on the host's face.

"Heeeere's Johnny!" He said loudly. Confidently striding across the room towards where Sam was waiting. Two demons flanked the cocky-looking man that had entered first. But then he stopped suddenly and held out both his arms to hold back the demons following him. Glancing up slowly, eyes flashing black as he smirked up at the painted Devils Trap on the ceiling.

"Oh, come on," the blonde man drawled at Sam. His voice smooth, but firm. "You really think something like that is gonna fool someone like me? I mean, me?"

Sam sighed to himself softly. "Let me guess - you're Pride."

The demon grinned and gestured to the ceiling above, and a long jagged crack ran through symbol, destroying the trap.

He made a pleased noise. "Yesss. The root of all sin. And you..." He strode forwards arrogantly towards Sam, walking under the now broken and useless Devil's Trap, the grin still plastered to his face. "are Sam Winchester." His grin only grew when Sam looked confused. "That's right, I've heard of you. We've all heard of you." The two demons behind him were grinning. "The prodigy. The boy king. Looking at you now, I gotta tell you - not believing the hype. You think I'm gonna bow to a cut-rate piss-poor human like you?" His voice was tinged with anger. He cleared his throat and fixed his tie. "I have my pride, after all." He smirked again. Sam's eyes darting constantly between the three demons that had now cornered him. "And now with your yellow-eyed friend dead… I guess I don't really have to do a damn thing, now do I?" He chuckled at Sam's nervous expression. The tall hunter was holding the flask of holy water out, like a warning. "You're fair game now, boy…" Pride waggled his eyebrows at Sam. "and it's open season."

Pride moved quicker than Sam was prepared for and knocked the hunter to the ground. Twisting and contorting, he wrapped an arm around Sam's throat, grinning with glee as he began squeezing tighter, choking the life from Sam. The two other demons Sam figured had to be Greed and Gluttony. They were just standing there, watching as Pride gripped his neck tighter and tighter. Sam's vision was starting the blur, black creeping around the edges of his sight. He hadn't quite noticed when a blonde woman had entered the room brandishing a knife in one hand. Nor did he see when she slashed open Gluttony's throat. But he sure heard it and had watched the demon's body fall through the haze of his dwindling oxygen. Pride had turned them around to look at the fighting, just as Greed - wearing a pretty young brunette - had growled out.

"You!" Greed ran at the blonde woman, expression contorted into a snarl, and punched her twice soundly in the face, sending the knife-wielding woman back a few steps. Blood dripping from a split lip, the blonde smirked at Greed and rushed the demon. Plunging the knife deeply into the demons chest. It's eyes and wound glowed a bright fiery orange, flickered a few times and then Greed, too, fell over dead.

Pride let go of Sam and moved forwards to tackle the blonde woman, wrapping his arms around her, trying to yank the knife from her grip. Sam, who was coughing and gasping for breath, still had enough thought in his head. He grabbed at Pride, pulling the demon away from its new goal, and punched the demon in the face. The momentum from Sam's swing sent the demon back towards the blonde woman, who had turned quickly, and with incredible precision tilted and plunged the blade into Pride's demon gargled on blood, the same bright orange light escaping its eyes, and then collapsed with a dull thud.

Sam was panting, still trying to catch his breath from being strangled. "Who the fuck are you?" He breathed out, trying to regain a normal breathing pattern. His eyes focused on the short, blonde, knife-wielding woman who had killed those demons.

She smirked at him, wiping the blade of the knife on the leg of her jeans. "I'm the girl that just saved your ass."

Sam gaped at her. "Well, I just saved yours too," he retorted.

"See ya 'round, Sam." She chuckled and took off out of the room.

"Wait!" He called after her, running out of the room to follow. But by the time he had reached the hallway, she was gone. 'What the hell...'

* * *

The sun had risen bright and warm in the morning, birds chirped and families rose to greet the day. The light chasing away the shadows and monsters of nighttime. But for these people those monsters didn't ever go away. They were never far from their minds.

Sam and Dean were out in Tamara's field of a backyard, standing over the shallow pit they had dug as a grave. The demons that hadn't survived last night had been laid in it. One brother poured salt over the bodies and the other splashed gasoline from the jerrycan he was holding on top. Several feet away, Tamara stood alone next to a funeral pyre they had built for Isaac. She was staring into the fire, hands shoved deep in her pockets. She had barely spoken a word to anyone since last night. Sam turned his head, glanced over at the older woman and then back to Dean. "Think she's gonna be alright?"

Dean shook his head slowly in answer. "No, definitely not," he murmured back. His eyes flicked over to the other two coming out of the house. Bobby and Cori walked down the porch stairs. They both trudged over to the brothers. "Wow Cori, you look like hell warmed over," Dean chuckled.

She cracked a sarcastic grin that didn't reach her eyes. "You try exorcising all night, see you how feel. Ass." She started rubbing her temples and grumbling. "Man… that Jager bender felt better than this." She muttered, more to herself than to the others. Dean raised a brow, he learned more about her every day. Sam turned towards Bobby, who looked pretty much the same as Cori did. Dark circles under his eyes, slumped shoulders. Tired, beat, worn-out. Exhausted was a good word too.

"Any survivors, Bobby?"

"Well, the pretty girl, the heavy guy, and the two girls Cori took on. They'll make it. Lifetime of therapy bills to look forward to, but, still…" Bobby tried to stifle a yawn and failed.

Dean had moved his arm to indicate the three corpses in the pit. "That's more than you can say for these poor bastards." His eyes looking over the bodies of the demons that blonde woman had killed.

Sam's eyes had been resting on the same area Dean's were. It was still bugging him, so he spoke. "That knife… Bobby - I mean, what kind of blade can kill a demon?" Sam asked incredulously. He still wasn't sure he believed what had happened, and he had been there.

"Yesterday I would have said there was no such thing," Bobby replied, looking at Sam. Then his gaze moved over to Cori. Her eyebrows were furrowed and he knew the look on her face. Deep in thought, nearly deaf to the world as she wracked her brain for answers. Bobby may not have known anything, but she might. He had so far let her have her secrets, her father had depended on it. But these days he wasn't so sure it was a good idea anymore. If things kept going the way they were, he wouldn't hesitate to start asking questions.

He had always described his pseudo-daughter as dragon-like. Beautiful, deadly, hard to kill, and she hoarded things. The girl had a jewel collection to rival a princess. But it was books and knowledge his little Dragon hoarded most. When she was younger she lived and breathed ink and paper. Bobby had never laid so much as a finger on the books she had refused to store with him when she left. Let alone knew what they were titled. She had always kept them secret, hidden, private, away from everyone. Never letting anyone see them. He was thinking he might have to take a look at those books. Whatever they were. Whatever the consequences she dished out.

Dean shoved himself between Bobby and Sam, catching Sam's attention. "I'm just gonna ask again - who was this chick? Actually," he chuckled, "the more troubling question would be, how come a girl can fight better than you?" He grinned at his younger brother.

Cori, who was standing on the other side of Bobby, shot Dean a look he didn't see. Stooping down quickly she scooped up a small rock and sent it sailing towards the back of Dean's head. She had looked away just as he had turned around rubbing his head, a confused look on his face. Bobby was giving her a small smile, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

"Three demons, Dean. At once." Sam chuckled, sounding impressed about the tally himself.

Dean clapped his brother on the shoulder, a grin on his face. "Hey, whatever gets ya through the night Sammy." Dean pulled a pack of matches from inside his jacket.

Cori spoke up, her arms crossed over her chest, eyes gazing down on the dead faces on the bodies in the pit. "Yeah… well, if you want a troubling question, I have one for ya."

The brothers looked over at her almost in surprise, like they had forgotten she was still there. They had always been wrapped up in each other, it had been just the two of them for a couple of years now, and Bobby was family to the Winchesters. She had stayed off to the side mostly from the three of them. "What's that?" Sam asked her.

"If we let out the seven deadly sins…" She took a deep breath and sighed, "what else did we let out?" She looked from the pit and at the brothers. 'What did I let loose...' she thought to herself.

Sam's eyes widened just a fraction and then he was nodding in agreement. Bobby was giving her that weird look again, like he could read her mind.

Dean glanced her way and nodded to himself. "Yeah, you're right. That is troubling." He lit the book of matches and threw it into the pit in front of them. The gas catching alight quickly, flames burning bright and hot. Somehow the salt helped to mask the smell.

* * *

Later that day, after the fires had burned down to ash and smoulders, the group of Hunters were preparing to leave. Bobby and the Winchester brothers stood in a small circle talking quietly to themselves. Tamara walked around them, looking like she intended to continue on without saying anything, and then thought better of it.

"See you gents around," she mumbled at them, stopping for just a second to heft a large duffle bag over her shoulder. She locked eyes with Bobby, gave him a small nod and then turned to continue on towards her truck.

"Tamara?" Bobby called after her. She stopped and turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. "The world just got a lot scarier. Be careful," he told her sincerely. She nodded at him again.

"You too." She said curtly, getting into the truck and driving off. The gravel and dirt churning under her tires. Her truck moving to reveal the Impala parked behind Bobby's Chevelle.

Cori was sitting in the backseat of the Impala with the door open, her legs sticking out the side, feet on the dirt. Elbows resting on her knees as she sat staring at the ground, seeming to be lost in thought. Behind her on the bench seat sat one of her large canvas bags. It was a worn, old-looking black near to bursting with books and was the only one she had been able to bring along with her. She had hidden the others the day she decided she was going with Dean and Sam. Who both had just seemed to roll with it, neither minding the idea. They had welcomed her expertise and her intimate knowledge of the world they all knew. Right now, she was going over the thought of telling Bobby where her books were stashed. She knew it was only a matter of time before he noticed she had left a good chunk of her personal collection behind and started looking.

"Keep your eyes peeled for omens. I'll do the same." Bobby grunted at the brothers, nodded his head, and began moving to walk away.

Dean had shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "You got it." He nodded. His expression was grim, but thoughtful at the same time, like he had something on his mind.

"Wait, Bobby?" Sam called after him, the tone in his voice indicating how hesitant he was even asking this next question. "We can win this war… Right?"

Bobby paused his steps, looked back at the boys and then his glance slid over to Cori. He knew she had been listening the whole time, no matter what she looked like on the outside. Dean and Sam both shifted uncomfortably in their places. Bobby didn't answer the question.

"Catch you on the next one," Bobby uttered and then continued on towards his car. He fixed his hat and then shoved his hands into his pockets looking for his keys. As he walked closer to the Impala, Cori looked up and gave him a despondent smile. She raised her hand in a half wave. "You change your mind yet, girl?" He asked her gruffly, stopping at the drivers side door. "You can always come back with me," he offered.

She didn't look up, just shook her head, like he knew she was going to. Giving him a short dry laugh. "Nah, I'm pretty good where I am for now. Thanks though, Uncle Bobby." She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I feel that for once, I'm right where I need to be."

Bobby's eyes widened and stopped just as he reached for the handle of the door. He spun around slowly. She hadn't called him that in a long time. The last time he heard Uncle come out of her mouth was right after her Dad had vanished. That was six years ago. He took a few steps towards her and the expression on his face was curious. He opened his mouth to ask her something, but closed it when she held up a hand. "I'll call ya later. We can discuss some things."

He nodded slowly. "Alright. See ya later, kid." That earned him a tiny smile, and that was good enough for now. It was something. Bobby opened the car door and got in his Chevelle. Turned the engine over and pulled away, a lot calmer than Tamara had.

The boys waved Bobby off as they walked back towards the Impala. They had started talking about where to go next, what to do. Sam wanted to go check out this hoodoo priestess in Louisiana, help Dean with his soul deal. To which Dean shot him down every time Sam tried to say something else in his defense.

"We're not going, and that's that," Dean told his brother firmly. Then instantly, like it had never happened Dean looked amused and smacked Sam on the arm lightly. "What about Reno? Huh?" He had a small grin on his face, a big turnaround from Grumpy Dean. He turned to walk towards the car again when Sam grabbed his sleeve and spun him back around to face him.

"You know what? I've had it." Sam was standing stiffly. "I've been bending over backwards trying to be nice to you, I haven't been complaining about your excessive burger eating. I give you all the space you want whenever there's a girl involved. I give you no trouble about being kicked out of our room. Leaving me stuck hanging out with some chick we both barely know!" He glanced sideways over at where Cori was still sitting, half in, half out of the backseat. "Uhhh, no offense…" Sam had the decency to look sheepish.

"Hey, no problem, say the word and I'm gone," she shot back and gave them both a little wave when Dean turned to look at her as well. Like he had almost forgotten she was still there.

Sam turned to look back at Dean. He shrugged at his older brother. "I- I just don't care anymore," he admitted in the hopes it would get some sort of reaction from Dean.

Who only huffed out a short laugh. "That didn't last long." He moved his eyes away from Cori's hunched over and yawning figure. If he had known her better - like Bobby did - he could have seen past the tiredness she was showing the world. But Sam was right, they both didn't really know this Cori chick much at all. Bobby's recommendation was always good, but she was travelling with them now. Had been for just over a week. The time was coming for some answers.

"Yeah, well, you know what?" Sam said, sounding very much like a teenager. "I've been busting my ass trying to keep you alive, Dean. And you act like you couldn't care less. You got some kinda death wish or something?" He demanded from his brother.

"No, it's not like that," Dean said, sounding defeated.

"Then what's it like, Dean?" Sam narrowed his eyes at his brother and stood his ground.

"Sam-" Dean started to say before he was cut off.

"Please, tell me," the taller of the two asked. Sam was getting annoyed.

With a heavy sigh, Dean spoke. "We trap the crossroads demon, trick it, try to weasel our way out of the deal in any way?" Sam was looking at his brother, stunned that Dean was actually talking, and right after he had pointed out Cori no less. "You die. Okay? You _die_." Sam had definitely not been expecting that, something like it sure, but not that. "There's no way out of it." Dean's eyes took on a harder quality. "If you try to find a way, so help me God, I'm gonna stop you." Dean narrowed his eyes at his little brother. Taking a quick look over at Cori who wasn't even looking at them anymore, like she was trying to give them space, but she hadn't moved from her spot.

Sam was looking at Dean totally defeated. He sighed. "How could you make that deal, Dean?" Sam asked him tiredly.

"Cause, I couldn't live with you dead, couldn't do it." Dean shrugged nonchalantly. It was no big deal to him, that was just the way things were, had always been. Sam and Dean, together.

"So, what, now I live and you die?" Sam scoffed like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Dean gave his brother a smirk, which just fueled the fire in Sam's belly. "That's the general idea, yeah." Dean moved around Sam and started walking back towards the driver's side of the car. Sam having kept him up front by the hood, trying to at least keep a semblance of privacy, with Cori sitting waiting for them in the back of the Impala.

"Yeah? Well, you're a fucking hypocrite Dean." Sam wasn't nearly done with his brother yet, the sadness receding back to anger. "How did you feel when Dad sold his soul for you? 'Cause I was there. I remember. You were twisted and broken." He moved quickly and cut off his brother's movements, blocking his path to the car door. "And now… now you go and do the same thing. To me." Sam drew in a deep breath as if steeling himself for him next few words. "What you did was selfish."

Dean nodded, that same little smile on his face. "Yeah, you're right. It was selfish. But, I'm okay with that." He shrugged like he didn't care whether Sam was angry or not.

"I'm not."

"Tough. After everything I've done for this family, I think I'm entitled." That little egotistical grin slid off his face. "Truth is, I'm tired Sam. I don't know, it's like there's a- a light at the end of the tunnel."

"That's hellfire Dean," Sam shot back. He tried to ignore Cori's failed muffling of a snort from behind him.

Dean was shrugging and the smile was back. "Whatever. You're alive, we've got this bad-ass girl hunting with us. And I feel good - for the first time in a long time, man. I got a year to live, Sam. I'd like to make the most of it. So, what do you say, we kill some evil sons a'bitches and we raise a little hell, huh?" Dean full out grinned at Sam and moved past him to the driver's side door.

"Amen!" Cori shouted happily sensing the end of their conversation. She had stood up from her half-in half-out position to stretch one last time before they took off. Her shirt was riding up, giving both the boys a glimpse of skin above the low rise of her jeans and her t-shirt. Dean was grinning at her now, happy with her assessment of the situation. Dean opened the car door but paused and turned to look at Sam.

"You're both unbelievable," Sam said to them, slowly walking towards the passenger side of the Impala.

"Very true." Dean smiled smugly at his little brother. He got in the car and closed the door behind him. As the engine rumbled and turned over, Cori cracked the last few of her joints and then she slid into the back seat, this time all the way and closed the door behind her. Any indication of her earlier mood was replaced by the eternal smile the Winchesters had become used to seeing on her face.

The expression on Sam's face though, screamed frustration as he opened the door on his side of the car and got in. Cori started humming along to the song on the radio as they pulled out and started off down the next road.

* * *

**June 2007 - Corinne's Journal**

So, Dean just drops Sam and me off at this motel in Cicero, Indiana. Place stinks, there's this odd stain on the floor of my room (pretty sure it's blood), but the water pressure in the shower is nice. He was claiming yet again another dying wish of his. Twenty-four hours with this so called Gumby Girl. He likes bendy, does he? Heh, I've been doing yoga for years... But he got his wish alright, he'd shown up halfway through a kid's birthday party. Turns out this Lisa girl had a son, and it was his party. The similarities between Dean and Ben had been a little scary. Dean was freaking out thinking he had a kid all this time. The timing was right, but Lisa said he wasn't Dean's, had a pat. test done. In turn, we found a case to work on during our lovely stay. Changelings. Creepy-ass little kid-things that looked at you like they would love nothing more than to literally eat your face. Ben had been taken by them. So Dean went all beast-mode and wouldn't stop until we found them. Then there was the Mother of the Changelings. Because, you know, creepy-children from hell need a Mommy. Burnt her to a crisp. Honestly, I don't think I have ever been so satisfied lighting a woman on fire. That's a little twisted isn't it? But we saved all the kids that had been taken from the neighbourhood. Dean left Lisa on good terms. Lisa didn't quite seem to like me all that much. Which oddly makes me feel pretty awesome.

Anyways, the blonde girl that saved Sam's ass the other night shows up again while Sam and I were out at a diner. (Good bacon) I had gone to the bathroom and the girl was gone by the time I got back, but Sam told me about her. Kinda surprised about that, the brothers had struck me as secretive, Sam had obviously had a few. He told me that Blondie had said to look into all his mom's old friends. Which had all turned up dead, seriously. All of them. Dead. We spent most of the night going through all the info we found. Found out Blondie is a demon named Ruby. Sam froze, I went for the holy water, which of course Blondie didn't like too much. I'll always cherish the look on her face. She looked so shocked, it was perfect! Talk to me like I'm filth, ha! Then she goes on about saying she can help with Dean's soul deal. Sam was hooked. Me, not so much. A - she's a demon, B - if there was a way to get out of a soul deal, I think I would have found it by now. And C - bitch has been following us since we left Lincoln and the Sins. I hate the way she looks at me like she knows something. I don't trust her, I don't like her, and Dean will definitely agree.

* * *

It was just shy of midnight as the Impala sped down an empty road. Another car would pass them every hour or so. Cori had just shoved the small dark green leather-bound book back into her bag. She had spent the last hour or so writing in it. Updating a few things and writing out the newest entry. She had been writing in a journal every day since she was small. It had started out girly like they usually do, but slowly became an account of her training regime and her hunting record. If there was one thing Cori was good at when it came to hunting, it was keeping a detailed record of the events. Something she had obviously learned from her father. But hers were nowhere near as intricate as his were. Sam with prompting from Cori, had told Dean all about the little visit they got from Ruby while Dean was off with Gumby Girl. Dean, predictably, was not impressed.

"Because Demon! That's why! I mean, the second you find out this Ruby chick is a Demon you go for the holy water!" Dean shouted at his brother from the drivers seat. "You don't chat!"

"No one was chatting, Dean."

"I threw holy water at her," Cori supplied from the back. Dean glanced over his shoulder to give her a small smile, which fell as soon as it appeared.

"Oh yeah? Then why didn't either of you send her ass back to Hell?" He demanded from them. Cori was holding her hands up in defeat as Dean pressed further. "You can speak Latin better than either of us!" Dean used a finger to motion between him and Sam.

"Ginormo over here wouldn't let me." Cori shifted in the back seat, leaning forwards, elbows on her knees.

Dean's gaze had flicked from Cori back over to Sam. His brows furrowed. "And why was that?"

"Because-" he paused, half thinking about lying, half wanting to tell the truth. "Because she said she might be able to help us out!" Sam near shouted back, not entirely liking being ganged up on.

"How?" Dean asked calmly. When Sam didn't answer he continued. "No, really, Sam, how? How could she possibly help us?" He rolled his eyes, he and Cori of the same mind on the idea of the Demon.

"She told him that she could help you," Cori said. She had sat back in the seat and was picking dirt out of her nails, disapproval plain in her voice.

Dean didn't quite get what she meant.

"She said she could help you out of the crossroads deal," Sam said, his tone quieter than it had been before.

Dean looked at him, shocked. His eyebrows rose high and his mouth opened a little. His eyes flicked back and forth between the road in front of him and his brother in the passenger seat to his right. "What is wrong with you, huh? She's lying, you gotta know that, don't you?" He looked in the rearview and locked eyes with Cori who just nodded at him and went back to looking out the window. "She knows what your weakness is Sam - it's me," he huffed. "What else did she say?" His tone had gone down an octave, and it looked like he was beginning to get irritated. Sam was silent and he looked away, turning his head to face the car window. "Dude?" Dean demanded shortly.

"Nothing… Nothing. OK?!" Sam all but yelled back. Cori glanced at the brothers quickly and then back to staring at the night sky. "Look, I'm not an idiot Dean. I'm not talking about trusting her, I'm talking about using her. I mean, we're at war right?" Sam defended his actions. "And we don't know jack shit about the enemy; we don't know where they are, we don't know what they're doing." Sam narrowed his eyes at Dean. From the back seat Cori was silent, but she had a thoughtful look on her face, like Sam might have a point. "I mean, hell, we don't know what they want. Now this Ruby girl knows more than we will ever find out on our own." Sam sighed, winding down his little rant. "Yes, it's a risk; I know that." He shot his brother a look. "But we need to take it."

Dean looked like he was mulling things over. "You're okay right, I mean, you're feeling okay?"

Sam just about snarled. "Yes! I'm fine! Why are you always asking me that?!" Cori could feel another fight about to break out between the two of them and was saved when a phone started ringing.

Sam sighed heavily and reached into his coat for his. "Huh, it's not mine."

Cori checked her pockets. "Not me," she told them, attention now on the ringing phone instead of outside.

Dean went for his. "Nope, uh, check the glove box. It's Dad's."

"Dad's?" Sam asked, reaching for the glove compartment.

"Yeah, I keep it charged in case any of his old contacts call." Dean turned his eyes towards the road fully. Cori in the backseat was half paying attention. Whatever happened, happened. She was here for the ride.

Sam pulled John's flip phone from the glove box and answered it. "Hello? Yes… this is Edgar Cayce… No, no, no, don't call the police." Cori's eyebrows widened a fraction. "Great. Uhm, I don't have my books in front of me," Sam started gesturing his need for a pen, one Cori supplied quickly. "do you have the address so I can… Sure, OK, go ahead." Sam was writing down a few things on the back of an old receipt he had found. "Right, thanks a lot." He shut the phone and looked at it for a second like it would reveal all the secrets of the world to him. He turned to Dean, reading over the address he wrote down again. "Dad ever tell you he kept a container room at a storage place?"

Dean looked slightly confused. "What?"

"Outside of Buffalo?" Sam supplied, hoping it might help with recognition.

"No way…" Dean said. He sounded just the tiniest bit excited. Cori was looking at them both with interest from the back.

"Yep, and someone just broke into it," Sam stated to their wide eyes.

"Well, that's just lovely…" Cori smiled softly.

* * *

They had found the place easy enough, parked the car and the three of them went into the storage facility. It was an old, huge building, and the elevator they were using was a rickety wooden cage.

"Man…" Dean started looking around at the dingy walls as they descended into a basement.

"What?" Sam asked, his attention now on Dean instead of discreetly looking at Cori again.

"Just dad. You know him and his secrets. Spend all the time with the guy, and it's like we barely even knew the man." Dean was looking at Sam as he talked, but his gaze flicked over to Cori for a split second. As if to indicate something to Sam.

Cori was looking at the two boys, hands shoved in her jacket pockets. Fully away of Dean's double meaning.

"Well, we're about to learn something," Sam said as the elevator came to a stop. The door pushed up and open with a groan. They stepped out of the cage-like contraption and started looking around the huge space for the room they were here for.

After finding it, Dean unlocked the large padlock on the large sliding metal door. With little effort, he slid it to the side. Sam and Cori both had flashlights at the ready, shining them into the storage room. The light caught on a large symbol painted on the floor in red. As well as several bloody footprints.

"No demons allowed." Cori smirked at the brothers.

Dean had crouched down to look at the bloody steps on the concrete floor. "Hey, check this out." He held up a bit of a tripwire.

Sam followed the line with his flashlight to a large animal skull that had a shotgun propped in its mouth. Not readily apparent in a quick glance of the room. "Whoever broke in, got hit."

Dean was shaking his head, an amused smile on his face. With a slight grunt he stood back up. "Dear old dad," he said fondly. "I got two sets of boot treads here." He flashed his light on the footsteps. "Looks like it was a two-man job. Buddy with the buckshot in him looks like he kept walkin'."

"So what's the deal, boys? Your dad do work here or something?" Cori asked, shining her light around the room. It was large and filled with shelves and filing cabinets. Large flat workspaces cluttered with old books and papers. Knickknacks from the lives of the Winchester family.

"Something like that." Dean gave her a small smile. They three of them ventured further into the dark room. Stepping over the tripwire, flashing their lights all over. Picking up and looking at the random things they found. Dean grabbed a small trophy off of a shelf and was using his thumb to rub away the dust. "1995…" He mumbled. Sam spun around quickly, dropping the book he was looking through.

"No way!" He took the trophy from Dean, his eyes wide. "This is my Division Championship soccer trophy… I can't believe he kept this." He had a small smile on his face as he looked over the object in his hands. Dean clapped him on the shoulder, moving past him.

"Yeah… it was probably the closest you ever came to being a boy." He grinned at Sam. Cori was shaking her head, amused. Dean had wandered over to a large cluttered table, looking around at things, shuffling papers around. "Oh! Wow!" He picked up a shotgun off the table. "It's my first sawed-off." He held it up to show Cori. "I made it myself. Sixth grade."

Her eyebrows raised. She knew how similar their childhoods had been, but to witness proof was almost shocking to her. "Nice, looks good." She gave him a smile.

He chuckled and pumped the shotgun.

Sam had moved deeper into the large room. Towards a chain link cage at the furthest corner of the room. The door was slightly ajar, a large thick chain that had kept it locked had been cut. "Hey, over here!" He called over his shoulder. Dean and Cori came over, shining their lights along with Sam's through the doorway.

"Holy crap," Dean said, surprised. "Look at this, he had landmines... " His light moved over a table covered with hand grenades and landmines. Boxes of ammo were scattered all over. He turned to the other two. "Which they didn't take."

"Or the guns," Cori added, flashing her light over the large wall of weapons. "I guess they knew what they were after?" She looked at Dean, the question on her face.

Sam was still walking around the room slowly mindful of more traps. He made his way towards a shelf at the far end of the caged room. The shelf had multiple boxes on it. They had strange engravings and symbols carved into them. "Hey, Dean," he called over his shoulder again. Dean and Cori had walked the short distance over to join Sam near the shelves. "Check this out. See these symbols?" He indicated the boxes in front of them. "That's binding magic."

Cori looked slightly shocked at the find. "These are curse boxes. Actually, I helped Bobby make a couple of these..." She was looking closer at the rows of boxes. "You wanna talk about things we made in school…" She trailed off with a grin. Sam nodded at her looking surprised.

Dean looked curious. "Curse boxes? Aren't those supposed to keep the evil mojo in, right? Kinda like the Pandora deal?"

"Yeah, they're built to contain the power of the cursed object." Sam nodded a little.

Dean was nodding to himself like this all made sense to him. "Well, Dad's journal did mention a whole bunch of stuff, you know? Dangerous hexed items… He never did say where they ended up…" He took another look around the cage room.

"This must be his toxic waste dump." Sam moved along the shelf looking at all the boxes when he came to a rectangular shape made from the dust. "A box is missing... Great," he said sarcastically. He swiped his finger along the dust as if it could tell him how long John had owned the place.

Cori had wandered back over to the guns. She looked up from her perusal of the weapon wall. "We can only hope they didn't open it." She sighed. Sharing the same look with the boys, silently agreeing it was pretty much hopeless to think it hadn't been.

* * *

The three Hunters had done some digging to see if they couldn't find out who had broke into the storage unit. The Impala drove slowly down a wide alley beside an apartment building. They came to a stop beside a beige car. Dean leaned out of the driver's side window to check the plates on the car. He sat back with a smirk. "Connecticut. Last three digits eight-eight-zero."

"Yep, that's it," Sam replied.

Cori was clucking her tongue from the back seat. "Tsk, tsk. Shoulda blacked out their plates before the dumbasses parked in front of the security camera." She snickered. They three of them shared a grin.

* * *

The three Hunters came up slowly on the apartment door they had been looking for. Sam knelt down quickly and fiddled with the lock as quietly as he could. Slipping into the dingy apartment Cori closed the door behind them silently, being the last inside. Moving without a sound -from years of training - they creeped down the hallway towards two male voices. Pausing in a doorway, guns drawn, they shared a look before Dean silently started counting to three. Dean was mouthing the numbers, and on three they rushed into the room, weapons at the ready.

Dean was yelling, "FREEZE! NOBODY MOVE!" They had come into a living room area where two low-lifes were sitting on a couch, boozing and playing cards.

"Don't move!" Sam said firmly to the two men who jumped up from their spots on the ratty old couch.

The men both had moved as if to reach for weapons, but were still mostly stunned at the intrusion. "What is this?" One of them asked, extremely confused.

Dean strode forwards, gun aimed at the closest man. "All right, give us the box. And please tell me that you didn't-" Cori had been scanning the room, looking for the object they were here for and found the black box, its lid hanging open.

"Oh, they did," she cut Dean of with a sigh. "You idiots!" She growled at the two men. They still looked dumbfounded.

"You opened it!?" Dean shoved his gun under the chin of one of the men and walked him backwards to a wall.

"Uhhh are you guys cops?" The blond man managed to ask even though Dean was pressing a gun against the underside of his chin and keeping him held against a wall.

Dean looked at him confused for just a second. "Huh, what?"

The man Dean was restraining started to struggle. "Are you guys cops?!" He yelled at Dean. Which didn't phase the Hunter at all.

"What was in the box?!" Dean asked sharply, pressing the muzzle of his gun harder into the other man's chin. Cori followed the man's gaze to the coffee table. A rabbit's foot. Her eyes widened_._ Dean noticed it as well. "Oh, that's it, huh, what the hell is that?" Dean squinted his eyes to try to make out what the object was as if he could barely see it, and the man he had been restraining used the split second distraction to push Dean away from him and knock the gun out of his hands. It fell to the floor and went off. Something Dean's gun never did. The bullet ricocheted off an old radiator and knocked Sam's gun from out of his hands.

The same bullet ricocheted again and smashed a cheap clay lamp that was right beside Cori, which caused her to take a step back and trip over the lamp cord and fall backwards. "Woah!" She made a small squeak as she went down on her back.

Sam and the balding man both looked at each other for a second and then down at Sam's gun on the floor. They both went for it. The balding man got to it first and roughly shoved Sam into Dean.

"Sorry!" Sam called to his brother. Dean was knocked off his feet from the force and fell back onto a coffee table, breaking it and launching the rabbit's foot into the air.

Cori was groaning on the floor, having knocked the back of her head against it when she fell. Her gun had remained in her hand, but when she tried a warning shot, her gun jammed. The balding man threw himself across the room at Sam, sending them both crashing to the floor. The man had Sam pinned to the floor underneath him and was feeding him sucker punches to the face.

The blond man that Dean had restrained earlier went for Dean's gun, and grabbing it he aimed at Sam, hitting Dean - who had been sitting up - square under the chin with the gun, knocking him back down again. The entire thing was comical really. The balding man had switched from punching to strangling Sam.

Cori had tried to stand up from her spot on the floor, only to trip over her own two feet and fall face first, "What the fuck!" she yelled as she went down.

Sam was struggling to breathe, his face slowly going a darker shade a red. He noticed the rabbit's foot was just out of reach. He let go of the man's hands around his neck and tried desperately to get his hand on the furry thing just centimeters from his fingertips. "Sam! N-" Cori started coughing violently, cutting off whatever she had been trying to say.

Sam's fingers grasped tightly around the rabbit's foot. He quickly maneuvered his arms, knocking the balding man's hands away from his neck. And with a surprisingly strong kick to the stomach, Sam sent the other man flying across the room into a corner. Sam stood up, looking both confused and awed. "Dean! I got it!" He called out triumphantly, breathing hard from being choked only moments before.

The blond man moved forwards quickly, Dean's gun in his hands and he aimed between Sam's eyes. "No, you don't." He pulled back the hammer.

Dean and Cori looked horrified from their spots on the floor across the room from each other. The bald man had got his hands on Sam's gun at the same time that the blond man pulled the trigger.

Dean's gun jammed. He was just as surprised as the blond man, who was panicking as he quickly tried to clear the chamber of the handgun. Dean jumped up from the floor and rushed to grab his gun out of the blond man's hands. Surprised, the blond man stumbled backwards and, eyes wide, he tripped over a rug and fell over the back of the couch and knocked himself out cold on the floor.

Sam and Dean shared a confused look. The balding man was standing shakily to his feet and pointed Sam's gun at Sam. Cori watched with mild panic, "Sam!" she called his name to get his attention on the new threat as she scrambled to her feet. As the balding man stood to his full height the bookshelf mounted on the wall behind him gave way. Books tumbled from the now broken shelf and fell directly on top of the man's head. He fell unconscious to the floor in a great flop, his arm swinging and the gun flying from his slackened grasp. Sam snatched it easily out of the air. Dean looked at his brother completely astonished. Everything had transpired in all of five minutes.

Dean still looked liked he was almost in shock. "That was a lucky break!" He grinned at his brother and then his eyes searched the room for Cori. She was walking over to them with definite irritation in her movements. Dean turned back to Sam. "Is that a rabbit's foot?" He asked incredulously.

Sam held it up face level and nodded with a bit of a shrug. "I think it is," he replied.

"Huh…" Dean was looking at the rabbit's foot when Cori finally made it across the room to them, the curse box tucked under her arm, a definite cloud on her face.

* * *

The sun shone down brightly on the black Impala, which was parked in a Biggerson's Family Restaurant parking lot. Dean was walking back towards it with a convenience store bag swinging in his hand. Sam was inside the car. Cori was digging through her duffle bag of clothes in the trunk. Sam had his dad's journal open and was trying to find anything at all about the storage room they had found, or the curse boxes. Dean climbed into the driver's side of the Impala and started pulling things out of the plastic bag. All the windows were down, letting the soft breeze float freely through the car. It was honestly a beautiful day. "I'm not finding anything in dad's journal," Sam muttered at his older brother. Dean held up some scratch tickets in front of Sam's face and waved them around with a grin. "Dean, seriously? Come on," Sam grumbled at his brother.

"What? Hey man, come on! That was MY gun he had aimed at your head! And my gun don't jam," he insisted. "So that was lucky. Not to mention they took themselves out; also lucky," he pointed out, stabbing the flimsy cardboard at him for emphasis. "So here, scratch. Scratch and win Sammy!" Dean laughed and shoved a ticket and a coin at his little brother.

"Dean, it has to be cursed somehow. It wouldn't have been in that box and dad wouldn't have locked it up." Sam tried to convince Dean to see reason. He took the card though and started to scratch it, thinking 'Ah what the hell...' He handed it back to Dean after he was done.

"$1200… You just won $1200," Dean hooted and laughed loudly. "I don't know Sam, it doesn't seem that cursed to me!" Dean wore a face-splitting grin. He urged Sam to scratch another card. It wasn't long before he had gone through all six.

Cori had zipped up her duffle and slammed the trunk shut with force. It made Sam jump and look at her. He got out of the car. "Hey, what's up with you?" He hedged, taking a few steps closer to her. Dean had also climbed back out of the car and was laying out the stack of scratch instant win tickets out on the hood of his Impala.

"Are you fucking kidding me..." She grumbled under her breath to herself, but it was in Sam's direction. "What part of cursed object did you not understand?! I understand he was choking you, really I do, Sam. But goddamn! Why did you have to touch it?!" She huffed, exasperated, brown eyes digging into Sam's green. She held up a hand when he opened his mouth to defend himself. "Gimme a minute, let me call Bobby." She grumbled at him. "Keep that damn thing in your pocket." She ordered the much taller man, who nodded with slightly wide eyes.

Sam stuffed the rabbit's foot into his jacket pocket. He was surprised but deferred as she seemed to know more about this than he did. Narrowing her eyes as he complied quickly, she pulled her phone from her pocket and hit the number on her speed-dial for her Uncle. Dean was laughing happily by the hood of the car as he calculated their winnings.

It was two rings before Bobby picked up. "Heya Bobby, it's Cori." She paused, listening to his greeting. "Oh yeah, everything is fiiiiine," she drawled off sarcastically. "Oh, nothing much. Sam is the proud owner of the rabbit's foot that was locked in the SasAa-ity box. How was your day?" Cori had a sarcastic smile on her face as she spoke with Bobby over the phone.

She was definitely more knowledgeable than he and Dean were about this. Sam stood by the side of the Impala feeling a little bit like a scolded child. "Yup, he touched it. Nope, they had no idea, Bobby. Here, talk to Sam." Cori turned a little bit and held out her cell phone in his direction.

He sighed a little bit and took the phone. "Hey, Bobby…" Sam winced a bit at the barrage of words he got from the older hunter. "Hey, we didn't know! No, she never said anything until it was too late but-" he sighed. He had heard Cori call his name but nothing else just before he got his hand around the foot. "She said the same thing. Well, dad never told us about this thing. I mean, you knew about his storage place in Black Rock?" Sam heard the affirmative through the receiver. "Yeah I figured; Cori said she helped you build some of the boxes." He wandered away from the car a few steps further into the parking lot. He noticed a glint under a newspaper on the ground. He crouched down, phone still to his ear listening to Bobby. He moved the newspaper aside and picked up a gold watch. He held it up face-level to inspect it further and got Dean's attention. Dean mouthed the word 'awesome' and gave Sam a huge grin. Cori, however, just rolled her eyes and sat down in the backseat, legs hanging out the side of the open door.

"It's a hell of a luck charm," Sam said almost in disbelief, shoving the watch into his jeans pocket. He listened to Bobby rant on about the rabbit's foot. Real hoodoo about a hundred years old, that this woman from Baton Rouge made to curse and then kill people. You touched it, you owned it. You owned it, you had luck coming out your ass. But if you lost the rabbit's foot, that luck turned so bad you were dead within a week. Sam shuddered a little at the thought as he listened to Bobby talk.

"Well, then I won't lose it," he tried and held the phone away from his ear when Bobby yelled back that everyone loses it. "Well, then, how do we break the curse?" Sam asked calmly, a hint of worry in his voice. "Alright, I'll talk to you later." Instead of shutting the flip phone he handed it back to Cori. "He wants to talk to you." Sam tried to give her a smile. But he figured she knew just about everything Bobby had just told him. She had, after all, been able to name off the box in question. Sam walked back over towards Dean.

"Bobby, so, see what we can see, I guess?" Cori sighed quietly into the phone and pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, let me know. How's the work going?" The small frown on her face slowly turned into a smile. Before Bobby drove off back with the Sins, he had taken the Colt off their hands. It was relatively useless to them. There were no _known_ bullets left. But Bobby wanted to figure it out, see if there was any way to replicate it. "Great, let me know how that goes; you must be glad to finally have something to occupy your time." Cori chuckled softly. Fingers reaching up, she played with the chain hanging around her neck, fingertips running gently over the strong yet dainty metal. "Alright, talk later." Cori snapped the flip phone shut and made her way back over to the Winchester boys.

Dean held up the scratch tickets for her to see. "We're up fifteen grand!" He looked so excited. Sam was giving her a half-smile, looking worried. His hand deep in his jacket pocket.

"Well, isn't that lucky," Cori said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes. "Come on guys, let's go grab something to eat." She grabbed a dark, faded grey military-style messenger bag from where she had been sitting in the back seat and closed the back door of the Impala. "Bobby said he's gonna see if he can figure something out for Sam's 'problem'." She gave the two men a small smirk.

Dean and Sam both nodded, agreeing with her idea about food. Dean scooped up the tickets and stuck them in his jacket pocket. The three of them walked through the front doors of the restaurant. "Don't worry Sam, Bobby's gonna figure it out. He'll break it, but for now…" Dean grinned at his younger brother. "How about we hit up Vegas?" He waggled his eyebrows.

Cori groaned to his left. "No Dean, we lay low until Bobby calls back," she admonished. He was an attractive man, yes, but sometimes not the brightest bulb. Sam walked towards the host waiting for them at a podium.

"Hi, uh, table for three, please," Sam asked politely.

The heavy-set man behind the small seating podium looked down at his seating plan and then back up at Sam. He had an enormous smile on his face. "CONGRATULATIONS!" He practically shouted in Sam's stunned face. An alarm started going off, red flashing lights, and confetti was being thrown at the three of them by waitresses in their uniforms.

Dean and Cori shared a shocked look, Dean's face quickly forming a smile as he and Sam were handed a large check for a year's worth of free food from the restaurant chain. "You're Biggerson's one millionth guest!" Balloons and streamers started falling from the ceiling down on them. Staff began pouring out of the kitchen with party horns and some of them were singing. Two had cameras and proceeded to snap photos on the three of them. Dean had a huge smile on his face. He was ecstatic at this turn of events. Sam looked embarrassed, a half smile, half grimace on his face. Cori face palmed just as the photos were taken.

* * *

The three of them were sitting in a booth, the sun shining through the window they were seated against. Sam was scrolling through something on his laptop and Dean was across from him finishing up a bowl of ice cream. Cori took a slow drink of beer from the glass in her hands. She was seated beside Dean, closest to the large glass window.

"So, Bobby was right, this goes way back," Sam said, not looking up from the screen in front of him. "Pure Hoodoo. Can't just cut a foot off any rabbit." He shut the lid of the laptop. Dean looked only slightly interested in what Sam was saying, but Cori was nodding at him like he was just telling her things she already knew. "Has to be done in a cemetery, under a full moon, on a Friday the thirteenth." He spouted the specifics he had read on the web page.

Dean was still slowly nodding. "I think from now on, we only go to places with a Biggerson's." He chuckled and took a bite of his ice cream then started holding his head, struck suddenly with a brain freeze. Both Cori and Sam started laughing at him.

A pretty waitress with a short black bob haircut approached their table with a carafe of coffee in her hand. She looked down at Sam and gave him a flirty smile. "Can I freshen you up?" Sam looked up at her and gave her a smile in return.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks," he almost stuttered out. The waitress leaned down slowly, giving Sam an excellent view down her shirt. She poured the coffee into his cup, and as she was standing back up she spilled just a little on the crotch of his pants.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" She gasped daintily and grabbed a thick cloth napkin from the small black apron around her hips. She leaned back down and began patting the crotch of a very shocked Sam.

"Oh! I uh-" He tried to stop her.

"Just let me mop this up." Her voice was breathy as she spoke hurriedly to him, using the napkin to clean up her spill.

"No, no, don't worry. It's okay, it's fine really, I uh- I got it…" He took the napkin from her as she continued to try to clean him up.

"It's no trouble, really," the waitress insisted. Dean's eyes were glued to the figure of the waitress as she fussed over his brother. Cori had narrowed her eyes and was watching from over the rim of her tall glass. "Sorry about that," the waitress said and gave Sam another bright and flirty smile. She walked her fingers slowly up one of Sam's arms and started to gently bite her bottom lip.

Sam's eyes shot for just a second over to Dean, giving his older brother a cocky smirk. Dean raised an eyebrow in return. The waitress finished cleaning up Sam and the small spill on the table. She began walking away, putting a little bit of a wiggle in her step as she did. She looked over her shoulder and gave Sam another smile, then turned her head and continued walking. Both Sam and Dan had leaned over in their seats to ogle the waitress's ass as she walked away from their table. "Dude. If you were ever gonna get lucky…" Dean trailed off, eyes on the waitress. Cori sat up further in her seat to look for herself.

"Shut it," Sam retorted with a smirk.

"Nice legs…" She muttered in an appreciative tone, which caused both the guys to shoot her quick surprised looks. She only grinned in answer. "Didn't manage to see her face or get a nice glimpse of her tits like Sam did, so I had to make due." She shrugged, drank more of her beer, and chuckled at their shocked expressions. Sam reached his hand forwards to pick up his coffee and knocked it over. It spilled quickly all over their table and his lap. Sam jumped up from the faux leather bench seat he was sitting on.

"Oh, shit! Jeeze- uh…" Sam exclaimed. He turned around, slamming himself right into a waiter. The waiter fell backwards, the full tray of dishes he had been carrying going flying. Dishes, cutlery and half eaten food flew everywhere. Dozens of people from other table had stood up in their seats to watch. Dean's mouth dropped open in shock. Cori's eyes widened and she chugged the remainder of her beer. "I'm so sorry!" Sam said to the waiter he had just knocked down. He turned back around to look at Dean and Cori.

"How was that good?" Dean asked slowly.

"Sam…" Cori groaned and closed her eyes, wanting to bash her head on the wood of their table.

Sam was frantically going through his jacket, turning out every pocket. Finding nothing, tearing a hole in one of the pockets during the search. The rabbit's foot was gone.

"Son of a bitch." Dean got up from the booth quickly, Cori sliding out right after him. They had all came to the same conclusion: Miss Flirty Waitress had just pickpocketed Sam. Together the three of them ran out of the restaurant.

Rushing out the front doors, Dean quickly moved a woman to the side and ran past her. Sam and Cori close behind him. Running around to the side of the building they all stopped on the sidewalk just before the parking lot started, looking in every direction for the waitress. "Come on!" Dean said, not seeing anything.

Cori and Dean started to rush into the parking lot towards the Impala. Sam took one quick step after them and then fell flat on his face. The other two turned around to look at him. Cori sighed. "Wow! You suck!" Dean said with a grin.

Dean chuckled and reached down to help his brother off the ground. Sam was groaning and rubbing his lower back. "So what, now your luck turns bad?" he asked. Cori was nodding.

"I guess," Sam replied. His jeans were both shredded at the knees and his kneecaps were bloody and raw looking from their meeting with the asphalt of the parking lot.

"I wonder how bad," Dean mused aloud. Sam hadn't told Dean much of what Bobby had told him, and Cori had opened her mouth to speak but closed it after Sam shot her a quick pleading look.

Cori opened her mouth again, choosing a different sentence this time. "Right, so let's go find out who hired Dumb and Dumber to steal that box." She shrugged her leather jacket back on and pulled her shoulder-blade-length hair out the back. "Shots later says it was the waitress." She gave the boys a wry grin.

* * *

Their new plan of action had found them back at the thieves' apartment building, quickly learning that the blond man was dead. Not standing on ceremony they opened the front door of the shabby apartment and sauntered in. Cori shut the door firmly behind her, once again being the last inside. Both Sam and Cori hung back as Dean started questioning the balding man on the rickety old metal chair in front of them. The couch was to their right.

The man's eyes were red-rimmed, like he had been crying, and he held a bottle of tequila in one hand, a picture of him and the blond man wearing sombreros in the other. He groaned heavily when he saw who had burst into his home. "Oh, man. What the hell do you want?" He asked, voice both angry and tired sounding.

Dean had his arms hanging on either side, his gun in his right hand. An obvious threat, but not an outright one. "Heard about your friend. That's bad luck," Dean said blandly.

"Piss off," The balding man said, his voice louder.

"I don't think so; we know someone hired you to steal the rabbit's foot. A woman." Dean took a step forwards.

"Oh, yeah? How do you know that?" The balding man shot back. Appearing to make himself comfortable in the very uncomfortable looking chair.

Dean closed his eyes for a second and then admitted, "Because she just stole it back from us."

The man blinked and then started laughing loudly. He took a long draw from the nearly empty tequila bottle in his hand and then continued to laugh after he swallowed.

Sam took two steps forwards, saying, "Listen man, this is seri-" he caught his foot on a loose cord on the floor, pulling a CD player off a shelf, sending it flying towards himself, he caught it with an "Oof!" The force causing him to fall backwards and into a lamp, which he broke as he took it down to the floor with him. He fell behind the couch with a dull thud and the smash of yet another cheap lamp.

Dean rolled his eyes and didn't take his sight off of the blonde man in front of him. "Sam, you okay?" He called calmly over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm good!" Sam called weakly from behind the couch.

Cori was trying to keep a straight face. Curse or not, this was hilarious. It helped she was confident they'd fix Sam. No simple curse like this is taking out a Winchester. Not their style. Not from what she'd read, anyways. Sam pulled himself up off the floor slowly. Cori gave him a hand and dusted his jacket off. The balding man was smirking at them, arrogantly. Though, more than enough of that was due to the tequila.

"I want you to tell us her name," Dean said, taking another step forwards. He tightened the grip on his gun just a bit more.

The balding man leaned forwards in his seat. "Screw you." He said each word slowly and enunciated them perfectly. Then his eyes moved from Dean to Cori, who was standing beside Sam, armed crossed over her chest looking utterly bored.

"You realize it wasn't a freak accident that killed your friend, right?" Dean told him. At the man's confused look, Dean continued, "It was the rabbit's foot."

The man still hadn't made to get up from his chair at all, but sat there. He scoffed at Dean. "You're crazy, man." He shook his head and chuckled a little bit.

"You know I'm not." Dean smirked just a bit, cocky as always. "You saw what happened, what it did. All the flukes, all his luck. But when you lost the foot, the luck went sour." The balding man's eyes moved to glance at Sam and Cori before quickly looking back at Dean. "That's what killed your friend. And my brother over there is next. And who knows how many more innocent people after that." Dean took another step forward. "Now, if you don't help us stop this, that puts those deaths on your head." The bald man's mouth slipped open in shock, he looked worried. It seemed like his conscience was speaking to him too. "Now, I can read people… and I get it. You're a thief, and a scumbag, that's fine." The man looked mildly insulted for a second. "But you're not a killer," Dean stated. "Are you?"

The balding man lowered his gaze and then his head in defeat. "No…" He sighed. "The only name she gave us was Lugosi."

* * *

The sun had finished setting as Sam, Dean, and Cori left the apartment building and walked back towards the parking lot of the run-down building. Dean's cell phone started ringing, and as he was fishing it out of his jacket he stepped over a large wad of bright pink bubblegum. Cori, close behind him, stepped over it as well. She was curious to hear if it was Bobby. "Hello?" Dean answered his phone.

Sam followed the two of them and there was a small but audible squishing sound. Sam groaned heavily and with a frustrated look on his face he slowly lifted his shoe out of the bubblegum he'd stepped in. Cori grimaced slightly and gave him an empathetic smile.

"Hey Bobby, that's great, uh- yeah. Except Sam uhhh…" Dean trailed off awkwardly. Cori gave him a small but comforting smile. She knew what Bobby was like. "Sam lost the foot." As expected Bobby blew up a little bit. Cori could hear the gruff voice ranting as Dean was holding the phone away from his head. Bobby was so loud. "Bobby, listen- listen. This, uh, hot chick stole it from him. I'm serious. Mid twenties, and she was sharp, too. Good enough at the con to play us." Sam wandered over to the storm drain he had spotted. Part of the grate was broken and he started using it to scrape the gum off the bottom of his shoe. "And she only gave the guy she hired a name, probably an alias or something." Dean turned to Sam, "Uh Luigi, or whatever?" He asked his brother.

"Lugosi. Dean, gimme the phone." Cori snatched the cell phone right out of Dean's hands. He was surprised but didn't do anything to stop her. "Bobby, yeah. Life's peachy. It was that fucking twat Bela Talbot. She gave the guy the name Lugosi. And we both know who that leads to." Cori shifted her weight from one hip to the other.

Dean was watching Sam still trying to scrape the gum off his shoe. Dean turned to look back at Cori. He had a smirk on his face. "Bela Lugosi, heh, that's cute." Behind him, Sam moved his foot to hard and in a weird way, and managed to slip his shoe off completely. It fell down into the drain with a splash.

"I thought she was in the Middle East?" Cori asked Bobby. It almost sounded like she was whining. "Yeah, I know; very funny old man. Bad luck, my ass." She rolled her eyes. "See if you can call around, find out where she's holed up this time?" She was nodding even though Bobby couldn't see her. "Yeah, thanks, no problem; here's Dean." Cori handed Dean back his phone.

"Uh hey... " Dean muttered into the phone, his eyes watching Cori as she went over to help Sam. "So, one of these days Bobby, you and me, we're gonna have a talk about Ms. Folan here." He spoke quieter, hoping she wasn't able to really hear him. He smiled fondly when Bobby agreed with a sigh and then told him to keep an eye on his brother. The smile grew when Bobby called him an idiot, in the way only Bobby could. Dean snapped the phone shut and looked back over at Cori and Sam. Sam looked utterly miserable. Cori was standing beside him trying her very best not to smile. Dean could see she was losing that battle just a little. "What?" He asked Sam, wondering why he looked like that.

"I lost my shoe." Sam mumbled with a slight pout on his face. Dean looked down at Sam's feet. One foot had a shoe on it and looked perfectly fine. The other was sock-clad and clearly getting damper by the second.

Dean sighed, slightly annoyed, but he had a tiny smile on his face. He rolled his eyes as Sam hung his head as if in shame.

Cori couldn't hold it in any longer. She broke into a fit of giggles as the three of them made their way back to the Impala. Dean gave her a grin and Sam's pout deepened, which just sent her into a new wave of laughter.

* * *

**Read and Review! Love to hear from my readers! :D Brownies to all! **


End file.
